Pierre Filardi, M.D., Anesthesiology, LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® Medical Director.

Dr. Filardi has volunteered many times and has served as Medical Director for many years. His interest in doing so is because he has been a runner for 28 years and triathlete for nine years, one race competing in and finishing as an Ironman. Dr. Filardi's particular interest is in the physiology of training and racing. His biggest personal interest in being medical director was to bring an athletes perspective to the job and elevate the standard of care and sophistication of the medical support to a level consistent with what other cities are doing with their marathons. Introduced the team to the potential life threatening hyponatremia condition and helped obtain onsite blood testing.
 

Seton will provide over 200 medical and non-medical volunteers in the capacity of medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists, support staff and various non-medical roles. The core organizational team includes;

Pierre Filardi, M.D.,  LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® Medical Director.

A. Jay Rimovsky, LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® Medical Team Coordinator, Seton Healthcare Family

Wesley Hopkins, Commander, Special Events Section, Austin Travis County EMS

Juan Hinojosa, ATCEMS Special Events Paramedic

Sherri Inman, RN,  Medical Course Coordinator, Seton Healthcare Family

Brittney Hoch, RN,  Critical Care Captain, Medical Tent, Seton Healthcare Family

Sherrie Maturo, Logistics Coordinator, Seton Healthcare Family

Caren Betz, Rehab Captain, Medical Tent, Seton Healthcare Family

Tony Mook- Web Editor for the Seton Healthcare Family

Recommended hydration information from the American Medical Athletic Association (AMAA).

Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish post exercise soreness from an injury caused by overuse. This may be especially true if you are running at your best pace during the Austin Marathon®.
Listed below are some guidelines on how to treat post exercise soreness and how to determine whether you may have an injury that requires professional medical care.

TREATING SORENESS

• Don't let soreness keep you in one position for a long period of time. Light exercise and frequent movement keeps blood circulating and assists in eliminating waste products created by exercise.
• Elevate legs above your heart for 10 to 30 minutes at a time.
• Stretch overly tight muscles and/or get a sports massage.
• A cold bath can prove soothing to micro trauma from running long distances. This works well after long runs and soon after a race

IS IT AN INJURY?

• All long-distance runners endure discomfort, however, if you experience pain that is localized and increases during running, you likely have an overuse injury. Examples of localized pain are anterior knee (patellar tendon or runner's knee), lateral knee (iliotibial band friction syndrome), hamstring, low back and foot (plantar fasciitis) pain.
• Flexibility should be relatively easy to regain following challenging runs. If you are unable to regain flexibility, you may have a biomechanical imbalance that could lead to an overuse injury.
• Unusual wear patterns on your shoes may also indicate a biomechanical imbalance that needs to be investigated.
• If you notice declining performance without an obvious reason, such as the flu or time spent on family or work commitments, you may need a sports rehabilitation evaluation.

On the back of your bib number please fill out the information requested. This will allow us to help you in a more efficient manner if the need arises.

The Central Texas Area experiences variations in weather and sometimes these changes occur rapidly with little warning. Every individual who plans to run the marathon or half-marathon needs to pay attention to three weather indexes: The Wind Chill Effect, the Heat Index Effect and UV radiation. It is your responsibility to seek the information, prepare and adjust your clothing and nutritional needs based on predicted weather conditions. Knowing how the three indexes work, how the temperature and other weather conditions can change at any moment and steps to take to be comfortable in those conditions will make the race much more healthy and enjoyable. Read the rest of the article on GoodHealth.com.

In addition to a full service medical tent adjacent to the finish area, there will be medical help at each water stop along the course. These aid stations will be medical staffed with multidisciplinary medical professionals to assess your needs and administer acute first aid when necessary. Look for a banner hung on a pole with Seton Family of Hospitals logo on it and a red stripe that reads "MEDICAL".

There may be times when we feel it is unsafe to proceed with the race. While we recognize the aspirations and commitment of those that have entered the race we will make decisions about the race based on the participation population as a whole. Furthermore, if the community resources are threatened we will act to protect them from unnecessary stress.

Specifically, when weather or other physical conditions present a danger to participants as a whole, we will maintain the right to cancel the race. Less threatening conditions could result in an alteration of the course or race length to promote a more safe result for the participants. These conditions will be recognized as "an act of god" and will not result in the refunding of race entry fees or future race credits. The staging of a race of this magnitude results in substantial expense prior to the actual race itself. Thus, in the event of a forced cancellation of the event, it is very likely that the financial impact on the race would not be any different than if the race was held without compromise.

The Medical Director and Race Director will make decisions regarding the cancellation or alteration of the race. Prior to the race the Medical Director will apprise the runners of weather conditions and advise on how to adjust to them. The Race Director will describe any course modifications. In the event of a course evacuation, marathon personnel or City of Austin police will direct runners to designated shelter areas to await transport to the finish line area on Congress Avenue.

Although unlikely in February, the threat of a tornado, high heat or icy conditions could prompt the cancellation of the event for all participants. Severe thunderstorms with the threat of lightning that are threatening the course and are forecasted to continue throughout the day of the event may also result in cancellation of the event for all participants.

High heat and humidity measured in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendations for participation in endurance events could result in cancellation or alteration of the race for non-elite runners as outlined below. The measurement system is based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which has been used for many years in the Austin Marathon® and Austin Half Marathon® to determine heat risk to runners. It is calculated by an equation that includes ambient temperature (20%), relative humidity (70%), and radiant heat (10%). The stratification of risk is as follows for runners in shoes, shorts, and a shirt:

 

WBGT Range	Flag	Risk	Recommendations: Race	Recommendations: Participants
>82 F (28 C)	Black	Extreme	Cancel race	Do not run
>73 - 82 F (23-28 C)	Red	High	Shorten race or alter course	Slow pace; heat sensitive should not run
>65 - 73 F (18 - 23 C)	Yellow	Moderate	Ensure adequate fluids and cooling	Slow pace as heat increases
>50 - 65 F (10 - 18 C)	Green	Low	Proceed as planned	Be alert for changing conditions
< 50 F (10 C)	White	Variable	Warming stations Shorten race in wet and windy conditions. Cancel if conditions are severe	Slow runners beware Protect head and hands Stay dry

 

Conditions that entail high risk place a burden on the community health care system inclusive of emergency medical transportation and emergency room capacity. This burden encroaches on non-participants safety and must be recognized as an unnecessary and ill-advised situation. The LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® will not knowingly place the community in such a position.

In the event of warm conditions, runners must realize that the single most influential behavior in preventing heat stress is to slow pace. Hydrating and using water to cool does not prevent heat stress if pace is not adjusted.  There are more than adequate amounts of hydration to ensure proper hydration under favorable conditions. Additional fluids will be deployed as necessary; but it should not be assumed that fluid availability would be limitless due to logistical constraints entailed in such distribution.

All runners should be discerning of their own fitness level in their decision to enter the marathon. Runners should be considerate of their fellow participants behind them who will also require additional fluids. It is strongly recommended that all runners slow their pace and reduce their risk to heat stress when conditions warrant. The Austin Marathon® asserts that each runner assumes this responsibility when entering an event with the potential risks that a marathon presents. Furthermore, it encourages all runners to cooperate with directives given during the race by event personnel and to assist in the safety of their fellow competitors particularly at times when conditions are less than ideal.

The LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® is committed to the safety of all its participants and will not sacrifice the safety of any one.

Notifications about weather conditions, cancellations, and other race information will be communicated via this website, the onsite announcer, and Twitter.