Ultra-Runner and ER Doctor Inia Raumati on the Health Checks Every Runner Shouldn’t Ignore

After racing across deserts, mountains, and continents, CurraNZ advocate Dr Inia Raumati knows what it means to push the limits of endurance. The emergency doctor and seasoned ultra-runner – who holds the world record for completing eight races on eight continents within a single year – has seen firsthand how the body adapts, recovers, and sometimes struggles as the miles add up.

Now in his forties and still chasing big challenges, Inia is turning his medical insight inward, sharing a timely reminder for middle-aged runners: that being fit doesn’t make us immune to deeper health issues. Drawing from both his experience in ultra-running and emergency medicine, he encourages athletes to distinguish between “normal wear and tear” and symptoms that deserve a closer look.

Dr Inia writes: 

"After a pretty exciting couple of years and some fairly extreme running, I started to feel like my age might finally be catching up with me. Like most middle-aged runners, I’m used to longer recovery times after hard races and training blocks, but lately it’s been harder to ignore.

By this stage of life, we’re all the sum of our previous injuries. If you did silly things when you were younger (and let’s be honest, most of us did), those old injuries have a way of resurfacing. Many middle-aged runners – especially men – tend to shrug things off, assuming aches, pains, and odd symptoms are just part of getting older. But sometimes they’re not just “normal decline” or the result of training hard.

We all know running is good for us. The idea that running causes arthritis has largely been debunked, and the benefits to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health are well established. The catch is that being fit can sometimes hide early signs of illness. Not every symptom is due to wear and tear, heavy mileage, or middle age creeping in – especially if you have a strong family history of certain conditions.

The tricky part is that warning signs can look a lot like everyday running issues. Gastrointestinal problems such as bloating, cramping, and diarrhoea – the classic “runner’s trots” – are common. Add in sore joints, tendon niggles, general fatigue, feeling short of breath on climbs, or the occasional light-headed spell, and it’s easy to put everything down to training.

But there are times when it’s worth paying closer attention. Ongoing fatigue, shortness of breath (especially with chest discomfort), dizziness, worsening gut symptoms, changes in bowel habits (particularly blood in the stool), or joint pain and stiffness that just won’t settle despite rest and rehab are not things to ignore. This is especially true if the issue doesn’t respond to the usual fixes – or if there’s a relevant family history.

Gut issues are a good example. They’re incredibly common in runners and often worse with longer distances, higher intensity, or heat. Most of the time they’re harmless and improve with tweaks to diet, fueling, hydration, electrolytes, and training. Sometimes they’re related to food intolerances or enzyme deficiencies. Occasionally, though, they can point to something more serious, such as inflammatory bowel disease - or, rarely, bowel cancer.

As a general rule, it’s worth getting checked out if your symptoms are:

•           New or unusual for you

•           Getting worse rather than better

•           Lasting longer than expected

•           Spreading beyond the original problem area

•           Affecting daily life, not just your running

•           Linked to a strong family history of disease

A visit to your GP doesn’t mean you’re overreacting – it means you’re being sensible. Often a few simple tests are enough to rule out anything serious, or to pick up a problem early while it’s easily treated. Best case? Peace of mind, less discomfort, and better running. Worst case? You catch something important early – and that’s a win in anyone’s book.