ABSTRACT
Sport and exercise takes place in ever-more varied locations around the world, both at the professional/elite and recreational levels thus exposing participants to potentially hostile environmental conditions. In fact, many event locations are specifically chosen for their hostile environments. For example, the Marathon Des Sables (6 day, 250 km run through the Sahara Desert, average temperature 30°C, peak temperature >50°C), the StrathPuffer (24-hour mountain bike race in the Scottish Highlands in January, significant snow and ice under-wheel, prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures, snow and/or rainfall), and mountain climbing (exposure to very cold temperatures, significant snowfall, and the effects of altitude). Events in environments such as this place strain on many body systems and physiological processes above and beyond that experienced in more neutral environments.
