A clinic this weekend can help athletes in the long run.

This is the second year SERC Physical Therapy in St. Joseph is offering a free runners’ clinic for runners of all skill levels.

Physical Therapist and Clinic Director at SERC Micah Hilton said the clinic helps runners learn areas they can improve to prevent common wear and tear injuries.

The clinic will include 15 minute sessions starting with a functional movement screen.

“It’s a screen that looks at seven different functional movements that are common in everyday life and running and in recreational activity,” Hilton said. “So as we take them through the different moves… and based on scoring them, it predicts where they’re more vulnerable for injury. So it’s a good screen to use for people who are doing repetitive things like running or sports because you can prevent injuries really well by, kind of, picking out certain moves and working on those and addressing those issues before it comes to the point of an injury.”

Sessions will also include a running gait analysis and cover common exercises and stretches for runners. There will also be a question and answer session with running coach Ann Marie Chappell.

For more information or to RSVP for a time slot between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, contact SERC Physical Therapy by Friday at (816) 396-8635 or [email protected].

SERC Physical Therapy is located at 3727 Gene Field Road in St. Joseph.