“Even up to two days before the race, we have people calling and asking for help when they can’t even run or even really walk a mile,” said Cat Nadeau, a patient outreach coordinator at Finish Line. “We avoid telling people you can’t do it at all — so we’ll see them and do what we can to get them to the start line, and also, ideally, the finish line.”

At Integrative Physical Therapy of NYC in Midtown Manhattan, Frank Ruggiero estimates that he is treating about 10 people right now for injuries related to the marathon, which he has run twice. “There are always a lot more injuries now, as you get closer to the race and people bump their mileage up,” he said.

“We try our hardest – and often it works out – but I think unfortunately there are some people who have unrealistic expectations about what we can do for them, especially when they’re coming in at the tail end of a serious problem,” said Mr. Ruggiero, who spoke of bodies going into “complete shock” from doing too much too soon. “You don’t have a crystal ball, you can’t promise that the fix is only going to take three sessions,” he said. “Sometimes it’s six to eight before you can train again. And sometimes you need to defer.”

In one of the treatment rooms at Finish Line, Caroline Varriale, a therapist there for more than four years, was massaging the hamstring of Ben Meaker while she chatted with him about his training.