30 November 2006

Longwood athletic training students
provide medical assistance at Richmond Marathon

Sophomore Katie Brush (from left) and seniors Carly Fullerton and Nicole Bair assist a runner near the finish line. Photo provided by Richmond Times-Dispatch

Students in Longwood University’s athletic training education program have put their classroom learning to practical use for the past three years.

They have served as volunteers providing medical assistance at the Richmond Marathon just after runners cross the finish line. “We train them in what to look for,” said Sharon Menegoni, assistant professor of athletic training, who directs the program. “Sometimes a runner will tell you ‘I’m OK,’ but if you know what to look for, you know they’re not OK. In addition to giving them water, we encourage them to keep walking to the nearby medical area, which is in a parking garage just beyond the finish line, where they’re herded off to be seen by emergency room nurses and two doctors.”

A color photograph on the front page of the Nov. 11 issue of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the day after this year’s race, showed three of the Longwood students – seniors Nicole Bair and Carly Fullerton and sophomore Katie Brush – supporting an exhausted-looking runner. They were among the 16 Longwood students who helped this year. Eight Longwood students were there last year and five the year before. Menegoni has accompanied them the last two years.

“We leave Farmville at 3:15 in the morning,” said Menegoni, “go to the Chippenham Johnston Willis (CJW) Sports Medicine clinic to load up all the supplies and equipment we need to set up the medical area. We have to have everything set up by 6:30, and the race starts at 8. We stay until they shut down the course, just after 3 p.m., then we go back to the clinic to drop off the supplies, then we return to Farmville after stopping on the way home to eat. We leave in the dark and get home in the dark. We usually get home around 6:30.”

Sophomores Dani Basye (from left), Chris Deneault and John Walker and Dr. Doug Cutter of Chippenham Johnston Willis Sports Medicine, who works with Longwood's athletic training education program, walk a runner to the medical area.

What made this year’s marathon more difficult for medical volunteers was the unseasonably warm weather that day. “We had people dropping like flies due to the weather,” Menegoni said. “Temperatures out on the course were in the 80s, though fortunately it was cooler where we were. We had dehydration and heat problems, and we also had some breathing problems. We usually get breathing problems among people with asthma, but this year we had breathing problems even among runners without asthma.”

The only other college medical volunteers at this year’s race were “a handful of fourth-year medical students from VCU Medical Center,” Menegoni said.

Longwood’s involvement came about through Dr. Doug Cutter, medical director of the CJW Sports Medicine clinic, who along with two colleagues has assisted the athletic training education program for three years. Dr. Cutter, who is the team physician for Longwood’s athletic teams in addition to being the medical director for Longwood’s athletic training education program, is in charge of post-race medical treatment at the Richmond Marathon.

“When Dr. Cutter asked us if we wanted to get involved in the marathon, we jumped at the opportunity,” said Menegoni.

Dr. Cutter praised the students. “The Longwood students are very instrumental in making the race a success. Their enthusiasm is extremely important. Every year they do an even better job of getting the athletes to the medical area, which is kind of like triage, and determining which ones need medical treatment. They do an outstanding job.”

Longwood’s athletic training education program, part of the Department of Health, Recreation and Kinesiology, has been nationally accredited since 2000. Menegoni came to Longwood in 1996 to launch the program, which students are not allowed to enter until their sophomore year. There are currently 27 majors in the program. One of the majors, sophomore Nick Davis, ran in this year’s marathon.

In addition to Menegoni, the program’s faculty includes Meg Frederick, the clinical coordinator. Both are certified athletic trainers.

“Also, the four staff athletic trainers here at Longwood supervise our students,” Menegoni said. “We also use medical facilities in the community, including the emergency room at Southside Community Hospital, Progressive Therapy, and the offices of Dr. Lawrence Varner and Dr. Stephen Goldberger. In addition to Dr. Cutter, two others from CJW Sports Medicine, Dr. Katherine Dec, whose specialty is physical medicine, and Dr. David Nedeff, an orthopedic surgeon, work with our students. One of those three comes to campus every other week.”

The Longwood students take part in a free clinic at CJW Sports Medicine for high school athletes with injuries that Dr. Cutter conducts during football season. “The athletes are there to be evaluated and to be seen by a doctor, and sometimes before they leave they’ve been scheduled for surgery,” Menegoni said. “Our students get to see injuries they don’t normally get to see. We observe, stand side-by-side with the doctor, ask questions and soak up as much as we can.”

Menegoni said that she plans to continue providing medical assistance at the Richmond Marathon. “After this year’s race, Dr. Cutter called to say that he appreciated our help and that he hopes we’ll continue doing this. As long as I’m here, we’ll do it.”