IRONMAN: Texas Race Series
Dr. Rehal Bhojani and Dr. Kevin Schulz hold the Finish Line Tape at the IRONMAN: 70.3 Texas
Every spring, nearly 3000 athletes converge on The Woodlands, Texas to compete in 140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas race. With extreme endurance races and mass gatherings of spectators comes the need for expert medical coverage, and McGovern’s Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Section is happy to rise to the challenge. Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas medical team, consisting of over 300 physicians, NPs, PAs, RNs, athletic trainers, PTs, techs, EMTs, paramedics, and other providers is led by Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Section Chief and Race Medical Director Dr. Kevin Schulz, the McGovern EMS Fellows, and other Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Section faculty.
Dr. Schulz and the Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Section lead the multidisciplinary medical teams for both Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas and the IRONMAN: 70.3 Texas race. They work hand-in-hand with personnel from the Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute’s Outreach Athletic Training group for months leading up to both races to plan and execute medical plans for the races. On race day, which for Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas starts before 5am and runs past midnight, EM and EMS faculty assist the medical team by staffing areas such as the Transition medical tent, the finish line, and Main Medical, a sixty-plus bed “emergency department” built in an 80’ by 80’ tent, with Critical Care and Fast Track areas, iStat labs, full pharmacy support, and EMS support. McGovern EM residents also have the opportunity to work in medical on race day to gain valuable experience in event medicine coverage.
A view of Main Medical at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas North American Championship
Opportunities exist to volunteer for providers of all certification level, from physicians to nurses to allied health professionals to non-medical volunteers. Feel free to reach out to Dr. Kevin Schulz, Race Medical Director, at kevin.j.schulz@uth.tmc.edu if you are looking to volunteer.
Upcoming Races:
- IRONMAN 70.3: Texas – April 7th, 2024
- Memorial Hermann IRONMAN: Texas North American Championship – April 27th, 2024