With 2,100 athletes planning to swim, bike and run through Louisville in Sunday’s Ford Ironman triathlon, nearly 150 medical personnel will be on hand to take care of those who fall ill or are injured.
Organizers expect to provide medical care for 300-400 participants, many suffering from dehydration, heat exhaustion or other ailments, said Dr. P.Z. Pearce, medical director for the event.
With temperatures hovering in the 90s to 100 for much of August, organizers had been planning for a high of 98 during the race. But the National Weather Service said athletes should look for highs in the upper 80s after a cool front moves through Saturday.
Dr. Neal Richmond, director of Metro EMS, said he is confident that his agency, along with volunteers through Norton Healthcare, will provide top quality care for those who fall ill.
Seriously how stupid is this
if you are not trained do not compete get off the damn track you are dangerous to yourself and others
About 54 EMS personnel will be stationed along the course throughout the day.
In addition, 28 doctors and about 60 nurses from Norton Healthcare will provide care during the event, said Dr. Steve Hester, vice president for medical affairs at Norton.
Richmond said the race will provide opportunities for his agency to learn how to respond to high numbers of injuries in a single event.
So what is this article telling us is the training that the athletes are getting exposed to today is dangerous or inadequate
DUH ….!!! wake up regulatory bodies, cowboy trainers ill conceived training plans,
Hopeless commitments to some training regime that a
professional athlete used
Who most likely I would point out, is properly burned
out or crippled by now.
It’s also the first time EMS will deploy a new inflatable field-style hospital, called Regional Emergency Services Care Unit, or RESCU.
The device, once inflated, can be air-conditioned and outfitted with all types of medical equipment, including up to 20 stretchers.
All very impressive any good event needs a good medical back up you go to all premier events and that’s what you expect.
You also expect that the athletes their are trained to be there but the in Vogue Triathlon wave is not a great wave to be riding for the continued growth of triathlon.
The RESCU will be set up in Waterfront Park, where athletes transition from the swim to bike portion of the race, and then from the bike to the run.
A second medical command center will be set up at the Kentucky International Convention Center, which will be used as the main medical facility because it is close to the finish line at 4th Street Live.
Having both facilities air-conditioned is rare at Ironman events, Pearce said, and will provide a benefit to the patients.
Well I am not going to make any friends with these comments but STOP doing Ironman triathlon if you are not prepared.
Sorry I do not buy into the Bullsh##t of some magnificent Mum or overweight Merv staggering across the line 2 minutes before cut off time.
Go and waste some body’s time elsewhere and not but the pressure on a resource that could be used more productively
Putting the coverage plan together has taken 2-3 months of coordination, Richmond said.
“We’ve got a really organized, collaborative plan worked out,” he said.
Part of the collaboration included the Greater Louisville Medical Society sending out a letter to all hospitals in the area to alert them to a potential surge in patients Sunday. The letter urged hospitals to implement strategies, including increased staffing, to handle any influx of patients.
I will apologize before hand for the Idiots who take up unnecessary time and resources because they should not be there in the first place.
“We just wanted to alert the hospitals to … not think of it as a quiet Sunday afternoon,” said Dr. Randolph Schrodt, medical society president.
Hester said emergency rooms at Norton hospitals are gearing up for extra patients. University Hospital spokeswoman Lucha Ramey said the hospital is not adding extra staff but is prepared to handle any trauma that comes in.
Pearce said those who crash on the bicycle course will be taken to area hospitals.
It is no wonder that you get backlash when we are out on the bike training from frustrated motorists.
And there are typically another 5-10 patients taken to the hospital who have been seen at the on-site medical facility, he said.
Richmond said the primary goal of the event is to best care for those athletes who need assistance.
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