Runners suffer heat exhaustion, injuries during a hot Ottawa Race Weekend
The intense summer-like heat during the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend caused many runners to experience heat exhaustion, heat stroke, falls and other serious injuries.
There was an entire operation set up by the Ottawa Hospital only steps from the finish line, with more than 100 health professionals ready for anything that could go wrong this weekend.
CTV News Ottawa looked behind-the-scenes at the work of the satellite facility to be ready for the 27,500 runners who participated on Saturday and Sunday.
The facility was up and running by 6:30 a.m. Sunday, staffed by doctors, nurses, support staff, paramedics, and volunteers.
Staff treated more than 90 patients throughout the race weekend.
"We are seeing a lot of heat exhaustion and some patients are coming in with some falls, some blisters, and some participants are also unfortunately having some heat stroke as well,” said Dr. Rajan Walia, a resident doctor at the Ottawa Hospital.
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion were real risks for runners, as the temperature in the national capital reached 30 C on Sunday.
"One of the most common symptoms is a lot of nausea and some patients do have vomiting," Dr. Walia said. "In the heat it’s hard to keep up with your electrolytes and fluids."
The satellite hospital was stocked with medical supplies, patient beds, and first aid materials.
"Once they are in the building, we have buckets of ice water and water spray bottles that we use to bring their temperature down," said Michael Dans, a registered nurse working at the facility.
Staff are also equipped for acute care and more serious injuries.
"For patients who require more invasive interventions, we have a good link with the Ottawa Hospital, so patients that are a bit sicker that need the help, they are able to be transferred appropriately," Dr. Walia said on Sunday.
Depending on the severity of the medical issue, not all runners can make it to the site on their own two feet. There are ambulances, medical golf carts and other emergency vehicles set up along the race route.
Every possible scenario is thought of and planned for ahead of the race weekend.
"At the end of the race, we have what we call huggers," Dans said. "Those are people watching you cross the finish line and sometimes we see people collapse right there, so we will get the blankets on them and get them in a wheelchair and they will wheel them over to the medical building."
Officials say to prevent getting sick on the course, stay hydrated before and after the race, take your time, and dress properly for the weather.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Tornadoes collapse buildings and level homes in Nebraska and Iowa
Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Neb.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.