Dear tango1230-ga,
There are some guidelines for children of your son?s age which
indicate that he must be careful on the length of the race and the
weekly mileage covered in training as his body is still developing and
may be subject to injury. Generally, it is agreed that running is good
for children but injuries can result if they over-reach themselves.
Despite an endorsement of running (with a few reservations) by
American Academy of Pediatrics, they did not give any specific
guidelines as to distance and age. Some doctors have given advice on
this. One is Dr. Lyle Micheli of the Boston Children's Sports Medicine
Clinic, who is quoted as recommending races of no further than 10
kilometers (6.2 miles) and training of no more than a total of 22
kilometers (15 miles) per week.
These are various sources you may wish to read.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reported in 1990, that
"Total mileage (and number of hours) covered by the child during
training rather than the distance run on the day of competition may
entail the greatest risk to the child's well-being and health.
Therefore, suggestions cannot be made for specific maximal racing
distances for children. It is important to recognize, however, that
heat-related disorders are particularly pronounced in races that
exceed 30 minutes in duration."
Risks in Distance Running for Children (RE9192)
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS November 1990
http://www.aap.org/policy/03326.html
In an article on Exercise and Children's Health, Steven J. Anderson,
MD, clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the
University of Washington in Seattle and chair of the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, states
"It's a matching game, [...] The idea is to match the demands of the
sport or exercise activity to the developmental maturity of the
child."
http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/02_00/ganley.htm
The University of Florida web site has a similar question to yours and
Patrick J. Bird, Ph.D., replies as follows:
"First, up to about age 16, the growing cartilage in the long leg
bones and surrounding the joints is relatively soft. So it can be
easily injured by the continuous pounding during running. Second, the
leg bones can all of a sudden start growing quite fast, resulting in
as much as a 3/4 - inch increase in height in one month. But as the
bones lengthen, the muscles and tendons that span the joints stretch,
rather than "grow." As a result, they can get very tight. This
increases the risk of overuse injuries --- particularly in the knee
area.
Not much is really known about the injury risks young distance runners
face, or how much they should train. Dr. Lyle Micheli, who directs the
Boston Children's Sports Medicine Clinic, and is a member of the
Boston Marathon Medical Team, says that until more information is
available, the training of rapidly growing children should progress
slowly and carefully, and held within reasonable limits. He recommends
that: (1) their training intensity, distance, and duration be
increased by no more than 10% weekly; (2) they not train or compete at
distances greater than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) ; (3) they run no
more than a total of 22 kilometers (15 miles) per week; and (4) that
stretching and warming be seen by coaches, parents, and runners alike
as vital. With this in mind, you may want to talk to your son and his
coach about the summer training."
http://hermes.hhp.ufl.edu/keepingfit/ARTICLE/younginjury.HTM
Marathon training and children
http://hermes.hhp.ufl.edu/keepingfit/ARTICLE/childmarathon.HTM
Overuse injuries: The new scourge of kids' sports By Lyle Micheli, MD,
Director, Division of Sports Medicine
http://web1.tch.harvard.edu/views/october04/overuse_p.html
Micheli?s web site
http://www.lylemichelimd.com/index.html
General discussion on youth injuries in sport
http://www.sw.org/sw/portal/.cmd/SWActionDispatcher/_pagr/112/_pa.112/123/.swaction/org.sw.browse/.swdoc/wps_jsps~ea_dat_newsitems.Newsitem.jsp/.swkey/HSNI_518533/.piid/191/.ciid/359
Children's Distance Running By Mark B. Levin, M.D. and Timothy J.
Patrick-Miller, M.D.
The Pediatric Group, P.A., Princeton
"Dr. Seymour Zimbler, Professor of Orthopedics at Tufts-New England
Medical Center in Boston, comments that preadolescents should limit
their distance running to 2 to 3 miles, 5 days per week, especially if
they run on hard surfaces, if they have lax ligaments, or toeing in to
avoid an overload syndrome. Swimming and biking are alternative
activities for preadolescents who want more activity. He feels
adolescents should limit their distances to three to five miles and
should run on soft surfaces. (Pediatric Alert, 1987)"
http://www.princetonol.com/family/columns/pedgroup38.html
"It is generally accepted by running coaches around the world that
having children that have not passed through puberty should refrain
from doing distance training and distance races. The areas of concern
are with the joints, mental burn out and the heart. Until children are
in the 9th or 10th grade the cartilage that protects bone pressing
bone (such as in ankles, knees and hips) is soft and not fully
developed. When you consider that the body weight impact for a foot
sticking the ground is four times it's weight and the pressure forced
through the feet is 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch (49,000
steps in a marathon). This is less for a lighter child and lighter
framed body. If the cartilage is not properly mature it will become
thin and grow with less density to protect the joints, becoming a
lifetime of discomfort and pain."
http://www.secondwindrunning.com/articles.php?article_id=20
Sports Science Exchange Exercise Effects On Children?s Health
SSE#43, Volume 4 (1993), Number 43
"Overuse injuries may be caused by excessive exercise. Of special
concern is the potential for repeated bouts of long distance running
to damage the epiphyseal growth plates in the leg bones of growing
children. Although there is some absence of adequate scientific
evidence that such running is actually harmful, Rowland (1990)
supports the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that
children should avoid participating in long-distance competitive
running events that are designed primarily for adults. However, it is
the overall mileage logged during training, rather than that covered
on the day of competition that matters."
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/16/d0000000200000056.cfm?pid=87&CFID=967547&CFTOKEN=48093555
My research obviously is subject to the disclaimer below.
I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder
"distance running" children
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children racing distance injuries
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