RUNNING in the sun is one of the delights of summer. Months of enduring rain, snow and howling winds are quickly forgotten when warm rays hit your back and you can finally replace your winter leggings with shorts. Yet with the summer sun comes a warning from dermatologists: protect yourself when you run to lower your risk of skin cancer. With more than 13,000 people developing melanoma every year compared with around 1800 in 1975, its incidence is rising faster than any other cancer.
The amount of time runners spend in the sun means they are at high risk from harmful UV rays
At least two 15-34-year-olds are being diagnosed with malignant melanoma every day in the UK and sporty types – runners included – are considered at high risk of developing skin cancer on account of the long hours they spend outside. “Any kind of sun exposure carries risks,” says Dr Bav Shergill, a spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD).