When the heat races ahead, sports enthusiasts need stronger safeguards to keep pace

The casualty rate at the StanChart marathon highlights the need for greater awareness and action – when competing in rising temperatures.

- Marcus Ong and Kenneth Tan

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Dec 1 broke new ground in having more than 55,000 runners over the three-day event, the highest number of participants in the last decade. They included a record-high number of 13,000 international runners from more than 84 countries, a 33 per cent increase from 2023.

However, the marathon was also notable for different reasons. Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is traditionally the main receiving hospital for this annual event, due to its location in downtown Singapore. In 2022, SGH received six serious casualties related to the marathon. In 2023, there were 10 casualties.

This year, 20 casualties were transported to the hospital within a short period of time. Participants were reported to be struggling during the last leg of the route, with direct sun and high temperatures after the 30km mark. According to AccuWeather, Singapore registered a high of 34 deg C and a low of 26 deg C on Dec 1.

Of these 20 casualties, five were heatstroke victims showing altered mental states and the rest were experiencing various heat or exertion injuries of different severity. One casualty died. It was the third death in the history of the event, which began in 2002. The previous fatalities were in 2011 and 2016, linked to underlying heart conditions.

With the increasing popularity of endurance runs in Singapore, SGH’s emergency department has treated patients with heat injuries from such events over the years. Examples include the 2XU Compression Run, Singapore T100 Triathlon and many others.

However, as climate change continues to have an impact on human health and activities, Singapore is expected to experience an increase in ambient heat and humidity in the near future.