There’s nothing more exciting than watching a young phenom leave their mark on a sport. We like to watch young people find success in spite of their age, but more and more, it’s thanks to that athlete’s age that they see attention.
This isn’t dangerous on its own, but the pursuit of that attention often is. It’s important that those reporting on the success of child athletes understand this and report responsibly.
A 12-year-old runner from Indiana recently made history as the youngest person to ever complete a 100-mile trail race. That’s nearly four back-to-back marathons, run on more difficult dirt and grass trails. Now why is this a problem? The ultramarathon is an extreme sport, exposing athletes to numerous health risks. Repetitive pounding on joints can cause bone and muscular issues, dehydration and activity can cause acute kidney injuries, and intense stress on the cardiovascular system can even result in some passing heart issues. Keep in mind that the risks discussed above are for adults. When it comes to children, these concerns multiply.
In terms of musculoskeletal issues, children are even more vulnerable. As children grow, extensive pressure on joints can cause numerous issues.
Extreme exercise over long periods of time is also speculated to disrupt the development of certain internal organs. This is why it’s recommended that young children, prior to adolescence, avoid training for running events entirely.
In the case of ultramarathons, the expert consensus is that children below the age of sixteen should not participate.
Beyond potential health issues, burnout is a giant problem. Physically, it’s not uncommon for runners pushed hard in their youth to find themselves either constantly sitting out races due to injury or simply not improving as adults.
Emotionally, the amount of training required to finish an ultramarathon at all is unbelievable. Ultramarathon runners often spend upwards of 16 hours a week running. This isn’t accounting for time spent traveling, stretching, working on core muscles, icing, heating and so much more. This leaves little time for a child to be a child.
Many young ultramarathon runners either cannot or will not continue running into their adult lives, and that speaks volumes to the issues those athletes experience. So training for and running an ultramarathon is painful, hard and likely to result in injury. Why is it that any child would want to run in an event like that?
It could be for the love of the sport, but according to the numerous articles about this athlete, his largest motivation appeared to be the Guiness World Record for the youngest athlete to complete a 100-
mile race.
The athlete’s age, the very thing that made his participation dangerous, was also the motivation for his participation. Is this a precedent we really want to set?
Even if this athlete remains completely healthy, doesn’t burn out and enjoys his time training for ultramarathons, the coverage of this event is problematic. Sensationalizing a child’s participation in such an extreme sport will inspire others to do the same.
Inevitably, children will be pushed too far. This is why it’s important that the media takes responsibility. No organization should advertise world records that endanger children, much less report on those records in such a sensationalized way.
