Marathon painkillers warning issued
Marathon runners taking painkillers do not perform better but put themselves under serious health risks, a leading Austrian doctor has warned.Hans-Georg Kress of Viennas AKH clinic said today (Mon) German studies have shown runners who take painkillers before participating in a 42.195-kilometre race have a two to six times higher risk of throwing up or collapsing.Kress added research also found those taking these drugs did not perform better then runners who stayed clean.”Between 40 and 55 per cent of people competing in a Marathon take painkillers just before the start of the race,” he explained.The 28th edition of the Vienna City Marathon (VCM), Austrias biggest running event, will take place on 17 April 2011. Other leading Marathons are the Graz and Güssing competitions which traditionally occur in autumn.