FARGO - With more than 13,000 runners participating in the fourth annual Fargo Marathon and temperatures reaching into the 70s, the four marathon medical tents could have been overwhelmed with injured runners.
Sonya Drechsel said that most of the injuries treated were heat-related, such as high temperatures and dehydration, as well as cramps.
Drechsel and her staff of about 40 medical volunteers - made up of local nurses, emergency room doctors, and sports medicine doctors - were prepared for the injured with IVs, chicken broth to replenish sodium, and tables for stretching muscles.
She said that the number of injured runners was comparable to past years, although the past couple of years have been cold, and heat-related illnesses tend to be more serious.
Five people were transported by ambulance to nearby hospitals, Drechsel said. Four of those transported were runners, but Drechsel couldn't comment about the injuries.
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She described the situations as "serious medical emergencies" where the person was stabilized and transported to a hospital.
