SummaryAnabolic–androgenic steroids (anabolic androgens, AAS) are widely abused to enhance performance in sport. The use of AAS chronically or at high dose is associated liver toxicity, sexual dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease. There is, however, no epidemiological evidence for a link between cardiovascular disease and AAS use. Mild but more frequently seen adverse reactions, such as acne and testicular atrophy, disappear when the use is discontinued. Some of the cardiovascular adverse effects of AAS, such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and coagulation abnormalities, remit after the cessation of anabolic androgen use, whereas reactions such as atherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy appear to be irreversible. AAS are associated with aggressive behaviour in men, but the underlying personality traits of AAS abusers and concomitant alcohol use, may confound this relationship.

Running is a popular form of physical activity, despite of the high incidence of running‐related injuries (RRIs). Because of methodological issues, the etiology of RRIs remains unclear. Therefore, the purposes of the study were to assess the incidence of RRIs and to identify risk factors for RRIs in a large group of novice runners. In total, 1696 runners of a 6‐week supervised “Start to Run” program were included in the NLstart2run study. All participants were aged between 18 and 65, completed a baseline questionnaire that covered potential risk factors, and completed at least one running diary. RRIs were registered during the program with a weekly running log. An RRI was defined as a musculo‐skeletal complaint of the lower extremity or back attributed to running and hampering running ability for three consecutive training sessions. During the running program, 10.9% of the runners sustained an RRI. The multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that a higher age, higher BMI, previous musculo‐skeletal complaints not attributed to sports and no previous running experience were related to RRI. These findings indicate that many novice runners participating in a short‐term running program suffer from RRIs. Therefore, the identified risk factors should be considered for screening and prevention purposes.