Link: What does it take to make a big race run? A lot of doctors – CNN.com

(via internetrunnerssocialclub)

Forty years ago the competitor field for the Boston Marathon was small enough that doctors listened to every runner’s heart before the race.

The medical team for Monday’s race includes 47 doctors, 110 nurses, dozens of massage therapists, 26 first aid stations, “sweep” buses to pick up runners who can’t go on and a sports psychologist making sure no one has a meltdown. At the finish line, 1,000 medical professionals will be on hand to give space blankets to runners whose body temperatures will instantly plummet when they stop running.