One in four trail running race entrants sustained an injury in the 12 months training preceding the 2019 SkyRun race.

Abstract Objective To determine the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of RRIs among trail runners who entered the 2019 SkyRun races. Design Descriptive cross-sectional study Setting 2019 SkyRun races Participants Consent for data analysis was given by 305 of 412 (74%) race entrants. Main Outcome Measures Retrospective annual incidence (RRIs/1000 hours), point prevalence (%), frequency (%), characteristics (anatomical region, body area, tissue type, pathology type) and injury severity (mean severity score; 95% CI) of RRIs. Results 28.2% of participants reported at least one RRI. The retrospective annual incidence was 49.5/1000 hours and the point prevalence was 1.3%. Most injuries occurred in the lower limb (87.3%), with the knee (26.5%), ankle (21.6%), and foot (16.7%) reported as the most frequently injured body areas. Muscle/tendon accounted for 44.1% of tissue type injuries. Tendinopathy (27.5%), joint sprain (19.6%), and muscle injury (15.7%) were the most common pathology types reported. The mean injury severity score was 31.6. Conclusions One in 4 trail runners reported at least one RRI in the 12 months leading up to a race. RRIs mostly affected the lower limb specifically the knee, ankle and foot. Future research should establish injury risk factors to ultimately develop specific injury prevention strategies.