Beginning Long-distance Runners Should Prepare Well to Avoid Injuries

June 18, 2008 - PRLog -- Long-distance running events in Singapore are increasingly popular as evidenced by the increasing number of competitive events held each year and the record number of participants. As more people pick up running as a sport or fitness lifestyle, the need for good clear advice on training and injury prevention is sorely needed. To this end, Back2Sports, a leading sports injury management specialist organised Runners’ Affair, a series of seminars and running clinics targeted at beginning and intermediate long-distance runners.

The number of people participating in long-distance events has risen sharply over the years. In 2007, a record 40,000 runners participated in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Shape Magazine’s Shape Run 2007 also drew record numbers of over 4,000 women runners, proving that both sexes are increasingly drawn to the sport. For a large number of these runners, it was their first 5km or 10km long-distance event. While injuries are perhaps inevitable for any sporting event, a percentage of these injuries could have been avoided with better pre-event preparation and training.

“At our sports injury centre, we see an increasing number of runners with sport-related knee and ankle injuries”, says Calvin Sim, a senior physiotherapist at Back2Sports. Sim adds, “While most of the serious runners have wear-and-tear related injuries due to the high training volume, most of our clients who are beginning runners have training and bio-mechanically related issues.”

Running is perhaps one of the easiest sports to pick-up. Its need little or no equipment, just a track to run. “Running is an easy sport to pick up. Because it is easy, people tend to overlook the fact you will need to get the training and technique right or you will get injured. For Runners’ Affair, we have gotten experience long-distance runner like Elangovan, a past winner of the Standard Chartered Marathon, to share,” says Sim.

Runners’ Affair is organised by Back2Sports to help reach out to all new and intermediate endurance runners who want to compete in their first long-distance event. This series of 3 seminars is targeted to help you better prepare for your race. Topics covered range from training techniques to injury prevention, from the type of footwear to nutrition. To complement the seminars, there is a series of clinics to guide the participants through their training regime and to help keep them motivated and on track to finish their race.

For more information on Runners’ Affair, visit our website at http://back2sports.com.sg/runnersaffair.htm

# # #

About Back2Sports – Sports Injury Management
www.Back2Sports.com.sg

Back2Sports specialises in sports related injuries and other musculo-skeletal problems of elite, competitive and serious amateur athletes. As a division of Core Concepts, a leading physiotherapy group, we are uniquely positioned to bring together our range of expertise in musculo-skeletal rehabilitation, sports massage therapy and strength conditioning on a platform of specialised equipment for advance sports injury management.