How to carry out a health-orientated marathon training programme for running and inline skating.

Background: More and more people want to do something for their health. Nevertheless, certain reluctance exists when it comes to committing oneself to higher sporting aims, as well as some uncertainty concerning proper training.

Design And Methods: Two model projects have been developed, aimed at motivating larger parts of the population towards a health-orientated training programme. Both projects serve as a basis for further, similarly designed large-scale projects. In the running project a health-focused run training programme was set up aimed at preparing people, previously inexperienced in running, for a marathon. In the inline project an inline training programme was developed which comprised both the training of essential techniques as well as individualized endurance training, the aim being the participation in an inline marathon.

Results: A total of more than 1000 people participated in both projects. The health check performed before the beginning of the project revealed some pathological findings, demonstrating the necessity of a medical examination before taking up regular training. Both projects led to an improvement in endurance performance. In addition, the blood-chemical metabolic parameters showed clear optimization, in particular the lipid profile. The inline technique training resulted in an improvement of the braking skills, which is accompanied by a reduction in the risk of injuries.

Conclusions: Both model projects have shown that large-scale sports programmes that focus primarily on the prevention of injuries and disease (under sport-medical guidance) with a performance incentive are accepted by the population, provided they offer a high fun factor.