As medical director of the Bristol Half Marathon, Dr Stephen Haig will be co-ordinating the team of medics on the day. He talks to David Clensy

For Dr Stephen Haig, the day of the Bristol Half Marathon begins at 8am when he arrives at the medical centre tent at the start/finish line.

"The first thing I do is get together all the doctors, nurses and ambulance staff I've been able to rustle up to meet each other and make sure everyone knows what they're doing," he explains.

For Bath-based Stephen, it's a long way from his day job as a specialist consultant at a Swindon hospital's Accident and Emergency department.

"I've been medical director at the half marathon for a few years now – I used to work in the A&E department at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. My role at the half marathon is more about co-ordinating things rather than hands-on medical work.

"But I'll have a team of six doctors, and a dozen nurses as well as ambulance staff from St John Ambulance and the Great Western Ambulance service."

Some of Stephen's medics will spend the day in rapid response cars so they can reach any runners on the course who find themselves in trouble.

The others will be based in the medical stations around the course and at the main medical centre at the start/finish line.

"Most of our work on the day is rehydrating people who haven't taken on enough liquids," he says.

"But the biggest concern is if someone suffers cardiac arrest while running – that's why it's so vital we can get a doctor to them as soon as possible.

"But in fact, cardiac arrest is very rare at events such as these. Even in full marathons it's a rate of about one in 100,000 runners who suffer a full-scale cardiac arrest."

For many, the half marathon can be a runner's first real experience of long-distance running.

"It's vital that runners are well prepared for the big day," Dr Haig says.

"But we inevitably will get a few people each year who just aren't fully prepared.

"We're on hand to help them if it all gets a bit too much."