R.I.P Marcus wheeler

RIP

This sucks. Feel horrible for the family.

Very sad. I think it's starting to become clear that coaches/teachers/parents need to be more attentive to the mental health of their runners.

DMX wrote:

Very sad. I think it's starting to become clear that coaches/teachers/parents need to be more attentive to the mental health of their runners.

Young people probably spend more time with and are more open with their friends and peers. EVERYONE needs to be more attentive to the mental health of those around them. I'm sure there are people close to Marcus that are looking back and maybe seeing a sign that something was wrong. It's a LOT easier to catch those signs after the fact.

Looking at his twitter, there were perhaps some signs something was wrong.

He shot himself in the middle of school after tweeting a warning about it this morning. Clearly he had some serious issues.

Yeah, reading that twitter does not make one feel good.

He didn't run at State...anyone know if he was kicked off the team?

https://twitter.com/marcuswheeler69/status/594137523858776065

Dammn he tweeted about it...

This is so sad and troubling. Kid was crying for help just looking at the tweets in the last 24 hours. If you are depressed please call 1-800-273-8255 or click here for chat help:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx

And be kind to one another. Marcus' tweets were very depressing the last day but last week he tweeted out an uplifting tweet from hurdler Georganne Moline.

We need to make it so tweets can be embedded in the forum but they can't be. They are in this article:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2015/05/marcus-wheeler-state-cross-country-champion-in-arizona-commits-suicide-on-campus/

Rip.

I agree this is incredibly upsetting. But it looked like many of his competitors had great respect for him, and enjoyed being able to compete against him frequently. Sounds like he was a pretty respectable guy who had great appreciation and respect for his peers in the high school competitive scene. Is there anything we can actively do as a society, or at least as a running community, to help foster an environment that helps to support young adults in their view on life? There is definitely a need for coaches who care about their athletes beyond their running potential. I have been blessed with having the wonderful experience of every coach that I've had growing has always cared about me as much more than just an athlete that helps contribute to their success as a coach. For me I viewed my high school as a father figure, and he definitely had a positive impact on my outlook on life and running in general also.

For everyone who says "we didn't recognize the cries for help", try this on for size:

https://twitter.com/marcuswheeler69/status/597871710960889856

From the looks of it, the kid stalled in track, was dumped by his girlfriend, didn't get into college, and who knows what all at the same time. That's a lot from the perspective of anyone, and certainly an 18 year-old.

We all should pay closer attention to the plights of those around us. At MIT (now) they have an initiative called "TMAYD" = Tell me about your day.

It can make a world of difference.

The coverage about Marcus Wheeler and Madison Holleran, in my view at least, was primarily fact driven. Dealing in fact space is certainly safe. However when we glamorize suicide by giving it national headlines in the press, depressed people craving attention might view it as a way to get attention. I happen to know from other people that Marcus had run the suicide thing up the flag pole multiple times before, and even today one of his classmates responded to his tweet (see article on Milesplit) "Did you do it this time or did you b*%ch out again?" While no one will ever know for sure, reading Marcus twitter account it seemed he craved attention and had for some time.

Now I understand one can't entirely ignore suicides either. However, what if instead of dealing in fact space articles focused more on hope? A local coach told me to tell kids they can talk to their coaches, parents, school counselors or other trained professionals. He also thought we should remind coaches to tell their athletes that message as well. Both of us agreed ESPN's piece on Madison did a reasonably good job at that, "its OK to not be OK." That article doesn't glamorize suicide as much, and it sends a message of hope. I recall similar frustrations with Robin Williams death, so I know I am a little counter cultural here.

Read more:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6497589#ixzz3ZzV5zgRr

I wonder if this was him

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=6367343&thread=6366976#6367343

Think about what you say to people, even behind a screen name. It can make a difference for good or ill.

jewbacca wrote:

I wonder if this was him

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=6367343&thread=6366976#6367343

Think about what you say to people, even behind a screen name. It can make a difference for good or ill.

Bump. Can't think of anything to say - the universal question, why?

sometimes the coaches are part of the problem.

Goddammit, always hate to hear when somebody takes their own life.

You show little understanding of suicide. Thoughts and failed attempts are the norm among people who eventually commit suicide. Could it be any more obvious that he was not just seeking attention now?

That tweet you quoted was truly heartless.

Run it up the flagpole? Craved attention?

For Christ's sake, he wasn't a Kardashian-esque celebutante attention seeker. He was a freakin 18 year old kid crying out for help.

Unfortunately, in our current selfie-obsessed/"hey everyone, look at me"/everyone's a star culture, real cries for help like his are prone to not even registering on our collective radar.

I'm not suggesting the current state of affairs are anyone's fault, but it's sad as hell that it's desensitized us to a point of taking only casual notice of a young man's pleas to be rescued from himself.

A young promising life cut short seems to offer no upside. I can only pray that his life (and death) may not totally be in vain, and that his story may help at least one parent/friend/teacher recognize warning signs in a similarly-troubled person and save them from a similar fate.

Rest in peace Marcus.