Sports & Hydration

Every year millions of athletes suffer from reduced performance and heat injury due to overheating, leading even to unnecessary deaths.

 

In 2005, the US Track and Field Road Running Information Center reported that there were 37.8 million runners in the United States. Every year, countless runners -- and Americans overall -- suffer heat-related illnesses. There were 3,442 fatalities due to heat from 1999 to 2003.

There is an urgent need for temperature monitoring during outdoor sports, particularly with the aging generations who want to continue their active lifestyles of tennis, running, golf and other outdoor activities.

Young people are also at needless risk of heat-related injuries and fatalities. In 2007, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury reported:

  • A major concern in football fatalities has been the number of indirect deaths due to heat stroke, both at the college and high school levels. During the past 10 years, there have been 25 heat stroke deaths in football.
  • This number is unacceptable becaluse heat stroke deaths are preventable with the proper attention. Every effort should be made to continuously educate coaches concerning the proper procedures and precautions when practicing or playing in the heat. (http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm)