Prevention Trial Assessing Paper-Tape in Endurance Distances II (Pre-TAPED II)

Participants will be ultra-endurance athletes competing in Racing the Planet's 250 mile/7 day 4 Desert events in 2014 (Jordan, Gobi, Madagascar, and Atacama. A convenience sample will be used, with full consent signed before inclusion into the study, with participants being informed that study inclusion is entirely optional and will not affect medical care. Randomization will be conducted for each participant, a coin will be flipped to determine which foot is to be taped, heads - right foot, and tails, left foot. The non-taped foot will be used as a control. The runner's normal sock/shoe system will be used to reflect natural wilderness conditions. Participants will have demographic data collected prior to the race, including age, gender, country of origin, number of marathons run prior, pack weight, and sock type. The study endpoint occurs when a hot spot or blister develops on either the treated or untreated foot. Runners will be instructed to treat suspected blisters or hot spots as they normally would, and to inform the study administrators the same day for visual inspection and final questionnaire to determine if they develop blisters or hot spots, whether they applied or re-applied tape themselves, removed tape, and the reasons for these actions.

Participants will have tape applied to area(s) prone to blister on 1 foot, if no blister history, 1 area will be randomly assigned. The tape will be left on the selected foot until a blister or hot spot develops on either foot or the end of the race, whichever comes first. At that point, the study is over and the participant can continue or stop taping at their choice. If participants are prone to blisters or hot spots in particular areas, 1" paper tape applied to that site on trial foot. However, if the participant has no previous blister or hot spot experience, a site will be randomly assigned by picking a piece of paper out of a bag with the site written on a piece of paper (heel, toe, instep, head of 5th metatarsal). Therefore, a single participant can have more than 1 site on an individual foot.

Inclusion criteria

Any runner who are enrolled in an RTP 4 deserts event, All runners who are 18-75 years old All runners who speak or read English. The study will be enrolling only those who speak or read English, so they can fully understand and have knowledgeable consent to the study enrollment protocols.

Exclusion criteria

Any blisters, broken blisters, or hot spots present on either foot at the time of initial taping as determined by visual foot inspection by a enrolling researcher.

The runner allergic to paper-tape.