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Atacama Crossing Blogs 2011

DJ Kennedy M D

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Atacama Crossing (2011) blog posts from DJ Kennedy M D

07 March 2011 06:04 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

The day started off in high spirits. The scenery today was astounding. In fact one competitor in the top 10, stated he almost forgot he was racing becuase it was so beautiful. We had realitvely few medical issues from stage 1 and no people needing serious medical care, therefore most were eager to start today. The stage started with a cool morning with multiple river crossings. This translated into many blisters needing taping in the medical tent today. There were also a few slip and fall type injuries, but nothing serious. The day did heat up especially during the last two check points but most handled it well. We did have a steady steam of people requiring care all day, but fortunately it was all for minor issues. We are hopefully most will be able to start tomorrow and continue the race. It's definitely going to be beautiful and challenging.

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06 March 2011 07:56 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Overall the day was a great success with almost no medical issues. At the start the racers were very eager to begin the race. This was only enhanced by the cool morning temperatures and the adrenaline running through their viens. The medical staff actively encouraged everyone to start slow, as the race is never won on the first day (but it can be lost). While this advice was not needed for the winners, it certainly helped the majority of racers as evidenced by our remarkably quite day from a medical prospective. The temperatures did rise throughout the day, but aside from some mild nasuae we had no problems. No competitor withdrew due to medical reasons and no IV fluids were required. As per normal we did have muscle and tendon pains, as well as a few blisters. While the overall quantity of blisters was relatively low (less than 15 people showing up to the med tent for blister care), the severity of several was impressive especially for a first day. We are hopeful that the race will continue with the same relatively low number of medical issues. Hopefully the competitors will continue at an appropriate pace, and keep the medical team acting as cheerleaders rather than doctors.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 09 Mar 2011 02:02 am

Hooray for the Med Team!! You guys are really in for even more stunning scenery in the days to come. My secret for maximizing Med Team scenery appreciation in Atacama: close the med tent from 8 am to 11am on day 6 (morning after the long stage) and have the Med Team backwards along the course. As long as everyone is stable at camp, you'll run into anyone having trouble on the course on your way and tend to them there or walk back early... but the scenery in the Valle de la Luna is absolutely spectacular and EVERYONE should get to see it during the daylight hours. If you plan to close the med tent- put out some self-serve Tylenol and foot bins, and put a note on the tent so everyone knows where you are. Have fun!

Posted On: 07 Mar 2011 08:18 am

Whoo hoo, blogging doc! Great to have a mellow start, good luck with that.