Why Are Athletes Getting More Injured Than Ever Before?
Open Instagram, Strava or TikTok and it can feel like everyone is training for something.
Marathons are selling out in minutes. HYROX events are booming. Cycling, triathlon and trail running have never been more popular.
That's something to celebrate.
More people are discovering the physical and mental benefits of movement.
But alongside this growth is another trend that deserves attention:
More athletes and active people seem to be struggling with fatigue, burnout, recurring injuries and underperformance.
Not because people are weaker.
But because training has changed faster than our understanding of how to fuel, recover and build safely.
We are training like athletes—but not always fuelling like them
Twenty years ago, many recreational runners completed a few runs each week.
Today, it's common to see someone with a full-time job following a marathon training plan, strength training twice a week, aiming for 10,000 steps a day, squeezing in mobility sessions and entering race after race.
The workload has increased dramatically.
But nutrition knowledge hasn't always kept pace.
Many people are asking their body to perform like an endurance athlete while eating like someone who isn't training.
Running apps have changed the way we train
Running has never been more accessible.
Download an app and within minutes you'll have:
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A marathon plan.
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A half marathon programme.
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A couch-to-5K schedule.
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Pace targets.
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Heart-rate zones.
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Daily workouts.
This has opened the door for millions of people to discover running.
But there's something many apps can't do.
They don't know your body.
They don't know:
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How much sleep you've had.
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Whether you've eaten enough.
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If work has been stressful.
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Whether you're carrying a niggle.
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If you're recovering well.
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If you're increasing training too quickly.
Many plans are built around finishing a race.
Very few teach you how to build a safe training baseline first.
Before adding speed sessions, long runs and extra mileage, your body needs time to adapt.
Bones strengthen gradually.
Tendons adapt slowly.
Muscles recover faster than connective tissue.
Your heart and lungs may feel capable long before the rest of your body is ready.
Fitness often improves faster than durability.
Social media has normalised huge training volumes
Training platforms and social media have transformed sport.
We can now:
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Track every kilometre.
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Compare every session.
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Share every workout.
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Follow elite athletes from around the world.
These tools can be incredibly motivating.
But they can also make extraordinary training loads look ordinary.
What we don't always see are:
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Years spent building fitness.
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Easier recovery weeks.
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Sleep.
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Sports dietitians.
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Physiotherapists.
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Recovery sessions.
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The amount of food required to support that training.
Comparison often encourages people to copy someone else's training without understanding the recovery needed to support it.
Running apps reward more—not always better
Many training apps celebrate:
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Longer runs.
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Faster times.
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Higher weekly mileage.
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Consecutive training streaks.
Very few celebrate recovery.
Nobody receives a badge for:
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Taking a recovery day.
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Eating enough carbohydrate after a hard session.
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Sleeping for nine hours.
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Choosing not to train because your body genuinely needs rest.
The pressure quietly becomes:
"Can I fit another session in?"
instead of:
"Can I recover from the sessions I'm already doing?"
Fitness isn't built by doing the most training.
It's built by adapting to the training you do.
Somewhere along the way, carbohydrates became the villain
Walk into almost any supermarket and you'll see:
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High-protein yoghurt.
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High-protein cereal.
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High-protein chocolate.
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High-protein coffee.
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High-protein snacks.
Protein is essential.
It helps repair muscle and supports recovery.
But somewhere along the way, carbohydrates became the nutrient many active people started fearing.
We've created a generation of runners who know exactly how much protein is in their lunch—but have no idea whether they've eaten enough carbohydrate to support a 90-minute run.
Protein repairs.
Carbohydrate powers the work.
You need both.
We've forgotten that training needs fuelling too
One of the biggest misconceptions is that carbohydrates only matter before a race.
Many runners will happily carb-load the night before a marathon.
But they'll spend the previous three months:
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Training fasted.
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Skipping breakfast.
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Eating low-carb lunches.
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Recovering on protein alone.
Your muscles don't magically fill their glycogen stores from one bowl of pasta.
They are fuelled by the decisions you make every day.
Every training run.
Every recovery meal.
Every long run.
Every snack.
Race day nutrition starts weeks—not hours—before the event.
When sport becomes your identity
Training can be one of the best things you ever do.
But sometimes passion quietly becomes pressure.
A missed session creates guilt.
Rest feels lazy.
Food becomes something to earn.
Another race gets booked before the previous one has finished.
Another challenge.
Another training block.
Another personal best.
Sometimes the biggest risk isn't the training itself.
It's never allowing yourself to recover from it.
The hidden problem: underfuelling often goes unnoticed
Low energy availability rarely arrives dramatically.
Instead it sounds like:
"I'm just tired."
"Everyone says marathon training is exhausting."
"Maybe I need more discipline."
Family might tell you:
"You're so healthy."
Friends admire your commitment.
Your GP may understandably assess you using general population guidelines rather than the specific demands of high-volume endurance training.
Because unless someone asks about your training load, fuelling habits and recovery, the bigger picture can be easy to miss.
You don't have to look unwell.
You may even still be performing well.
But beneath the surface your body may be struggling to keep up.
Injury is rarely caused by one thing
Not every injury is caused by underfuelling.
Not every injury is preventable.
Sport always carries risk.
But injuries often develop when multiple stressors overlap:
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Rapid increases in training.
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Poor recovery.
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Inadequate carbohydrate intake.
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High life stress.
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Poor sleep.
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Repeated hard sessions.
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Ignoring early warning signs.
Think of it like filling a bucket.
Training adds water.
Work adds water.
Family adds water.
Poor sleep adds water.
Underfuelling adds water.
Eventually, the bucket overflows.
The injury isn't usually caused by the final drop.
It's everything that filled the bucket beforehand.
A new approach to performance
The future of sport shouldn't be about who can tolerate the most deprivation.
It should be about who can train consistently for years.
That means asking different questions.
Instead of:
"How little can I eat?"
Ask:
"Am I fuelling the work I'm asking my body to do?"
Instead of:
"Can I squeeze in another session?"
Ask:
"Can I recover from the training I've already done?"
Instead of chasing the leanest physique, chase the healthiest, strongest and most resilient version of yourself.
Why RED-Scue exists
RED-Scue was created because we believe sports nutrition has become unnecessarily confusing.
Athletes are often left choosing between:
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A banana that isn't always practical.
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Sticky gels designed for racing.
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Protein bars that prioritise protein over carbohydrate.
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Oat bars that can feel heavy before training.
We wanted to create something different.
RED-Scue is a food-first energy bar, built around cassava and plantain—two naturally carbohydrate-rich root foods that have fuelled active communities around the world for generations.
Each bar provides approximately 38 g of carbohydrate, offering a convenient, gut-friendly option for before, during or after training when real food isn't always practical.
It's not about replacing everyday meals.
It's about giving athletes another carbohydrate option that sits between whole foods and traditional sports nutrition.
Because fuelling shouldn't be limited to bananas, gels or protein bars.
It should fit real life—and help you train consistently.
The takeaway
Athletes aren't necessarily getting injured because they're less resilient.
Many are simply trying to do more than ever before.
More sessions.
More races.
More comparison.
More pressure.
But not always more fuel.
The answer isn't to stop training.
It's to build a stronger foundation.
Train progressively.
Fuel consistently.
Recover properly.
And remember that performance isn't built by seeing how much your body can tolerate.
It's built by giving your body the resources it needs to adapt.
That's how you improve.
That's how you stay healthy.
And that's how you give yourself the best chance of standing on the start line—not watching from the sidelines.
