Runner's diarrhea
loose or liquid bowel movements while running
Runner's diarrhea, also known as runner's colitis, 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 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, 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, winner Catherina McKiernan suffered from recurrent diarrhea during the race.
At the 2005 London Marathon, winner Paula Radcliffe, 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 from the previous night for the incident.
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This entry incorporates text from “Runner's diarrhea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.