Medical Care at a Large Vertical Running Event

AbstractObjective: Vertical running events, during which participants race up the stairwells of skyscrapers, are becoming increasingly popular. Such events have unique and specific operational and clinical considerations for event medical directors, but descriptions of the medical care provided at these events are lacking. We sought to perform a descriptive analysis of the medical care delivered at a single, large vertical running event. Methods: A retrospective chart review of medical encounters at a large vertical running event from 2011–2017 was performed. Participants competed in either the full course (94 stories) or half course (54 stories); potential patients also included observers. Medical staffing included a main medical station at the finish line, medical way stations along the routes (within stairwells), and medical response teams. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: During the study period, a total of 23,920 participants completed the event, with 84.6% participating in the...