dr Holger Förster: "Healthy at the start!"

Anyone who starts in the 16th Salzburg Marathon must be in good health. A visit to the sports doctor is part of the ideal preparation for a running event. Everyone should have health checks anyway, not just marathon runners, emphasizes Dr. Holger Forster.

"A healthy organism is the prerequisite for withstanding the stress of a marathon run," emphasizes Salzburg marathon doctor Dr. Holger Forster. The experienced sports doctor is available to all runners on the weekend of the Salzburg Marathon at the Medical Service at the SportMall@Salzburg Marathon for questions, tips and to clarify small doubts or question marks. His credo is identical to that of the organiser: Anyone who starts a competition must be in good health. Regular health checks with competent sports doctors are the right way to do this. "If I run in a healthy range, i.e. not excessively, the effects of endurance sports far outweigh any health risks. But I have to be healthy, that's very important!” he explains.

So-called sports suitability tests are not obligatory at Austrian running events. In complete contrast to Italy, where Dr. Förster for his pioneering role. Because that would force athletes to undergo sports medical examinations that "would be good for everyone, not just for athletes." In Italy, mandatory sports fitness examinations make particular sense because northern Italians have a genetically higher risk of developing problems with heart muscle disease - that mainly affects men, who are already biologically more susceptible to coronary heart disease than women. This means that the benefit of this edition in Italy is higher for the athletes than it is or would be anywhere else in Europe.

In his profession, Dr. Holger Förster, himself an enthusiastic part of the running scene for many years, always for regular health checks. In his opinion, men in particular need more incentives to preventive visits to the doctor. This is generally valid, not only applicable to athletes. “Medicine, unfortunately in this case, is so good today that it can repair many things. As life expectancy increases, so does the feeling of productivity. Awareness of one's own abilities is often lost in the process," he points out. Health and preventive health care are a much more important motive for running than performance to prove something.

The East Tyrolean native also recommends that run organizers adopt a positive approach when communicating about health examinations. “I take the Salzburg Marathon event as an opportunity to actually take care of this area of my life. I do something for my health and first check whether I'm healthy at all. It should be in everyone's self-interest to do that and spend a bit of money on it." According to Dr. Holger Förster an exemplary approach.

The detailed conversation with Dr. Holger Förster on the subject of sports medical examinations: