Runner's diarrhea, also known as runner's colitis, the Indian shimmy or runner's trots is a condition that often affects distance runners characterized by an urgent need for a bowel movement mid-run.
Causes
The causes of runner's diarrhea remain under debate, although several theories include
ischemia
Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems ...
and mechanical trauma. The reduced incidence of diarrhea in cyclists would indicate the latter. Diet is often cited as a common cause of diarrhea in distance runners.
Treatment
Runner's diarrhea will normally clear up by itself from several hours to two days after running. As with all forms of
diarrhea
Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...
, replacement of fluids and electrolytes is advisable. Methods to prevent runner's diarrhea will vary between individuals, although it is advisable to consider examining the pre-running diet to determine potential trigger foods.
Notable cases
*At the 1998
London Marathon
The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...
, winner
Catherina McKiernan suffered from recurrent diarrhea during the race.
*At the
2005 London Marathon, winner
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a British former long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 200 ...
, in desperate need for a toilet break during the race, stopped by the road in full view of the crowd and live TV cameras and defecated. She later blamed a surfeit of pasta and grilled
salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
from the previous night for the incident.
*At the 2008
Göteborgsvarvet half marathon,
Mikael Ekvall finished the race in 21st place in spite of being stained with his own excrement. A reporter asked him if he had ever considered stopping to clean off. He explained: "No, I'd lose time.
€¦If you quit once, it's easy to do it again and again and again. It becomes a habit."
*At the
2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 kilometres walk,
Yohann Diniz led the race, but due to gastrointestinal issues, he fainted multiple times midrace. He was able to recover and finish in 8th place, six minutes behind the winner
Matej Tóth
Matej Tóth (; born 10 February 1983) is a retired Slovak race walker. He won the 50 km walk World Championship in 2015, and became an Olympic champion in the same event in 2016.
Career
Tóth won the gold medal in the 50 km walk at the ...
, however he was disqualified immediately after finishing the race for drinking outside of designated hydration stations.
*At the 2019 Perm International Marathon, finished first despite suffering from a bout of diarrhea, which left his clothes sodden.
*At the 2024 Boston Marathon, Davis Clarke finished in 2 hours and 56 minutes after he soiled his shorts toward the end of the race.
References
{{Reflist
Diarrhea
Long-distance running