A NEW pill with potentially life-saving capabilities was trialled among runners who took part in the Brighton Marathon.
The pill was ingested by nearly 100 participants ahead of last Sunday's event as the Brighton Marathon Research Group (BMRG) launched its study into the effects of hyperthermia and heat illness on runners.
Technology worn by the athletes received live data from the pill, and showed the changes in bodily processes that occur during long-distance events.
Diagnosis is reliant on getting an accurate “core” body temperature reading, which can be difficult.
The BMRG said that “with technology, it is now possible to use ingestible pills to detect core body temperature accurately”.
Doctor Luke Hodgson from the BMRG and also University Hospitals Sussex, said: “The successful use of the telemetry pills could be used to pick up at an earlier stage when athletes are getting ‘hot’.
“For example, you could identify times when athletes could be advised to pace themselves better or take on cooling drinks.
“With wearable tech the info can be made available live in-race for organisers of such events.
“Comparing the temperatures and biomarkers of athletes who have collapsed during the race with those who do not collapse, will allow us to look for markers that may be able to identify athletes at highest risk.”
An increase in body temperature is common among runners but can be potentially life-threatening if it develops into heatstroke.
Last weekend, 95 marathon runners wore lightweight monitoring systems on their chest, wrists or arms to record data – which also provided post-race information on how their body’s organs were reacting.
Results were compared with those of nine runners who collapsed during the race.
It is the first time this type of trial has been carried out among a large number of competitors, having only previously been trialled at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 by a handful elite athletes.
“This study will let us know what a ‘normal’ body temperature response to a marathon is,” said Luke.
“It can also be used in other areas, in particular where workers or athletes have to deal with really high temperatures, such as firefighters, the World Cup in Qatar, the Paris Olympics, and the military.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here