Marathon runners tend to be in good shape. But that doesn't mean they haven't narrowed/damaged their arteries with cholesterol plaque due to genetic factors or "dad bod" years. All it takes is for some of that plaque to rupture for subsequent playlet-driven clot to block a major artery, and that is more likely to happen with heart rate approaching maximum and some dehydration, gel caffeine, and inflammation. It is marathoner's version of sedentary person shoveling snow. The risk is that its the last thing you expect at fittest moment of you life. Never ignore chest pain. Get checked out.
Just curious here, but is there any test or screening that a runner can do to check for potential abnormalities or issues?
EKG? Cholesterol test? Heart scan?
Go to a cardiologist and have them do their typical workup. Typically EKG, blood work, stress test. Then request a calcium test score or a cardiac CT. Cardiac CT will tell you if you have any plaque in your arteries. Insurance may not want to cover it, but mine was only around $250.
People from all walks of life abuse drugs. Doctors and other medical professionals actually have higher rates of substance abuse issues than the general population:
I didn't run this year and I love this half but the ending is brutal.
the ending is a straightaway with no coverage. I know it didn't contribute to the deceased but glaring sun makes the slower runners feel a lot more. also, in the end, we approach the beach.
seems like the humidity just picks up along the water and feels like it's harder to breathe. gotta have that sea breeze (most years) or man it's tougher.
70 F and 80% humidity lmao. I raced a 10k a few weeks back that started at 3 AM and it was already 85 F and closing in on 90% humidity.
70 F would be a cool winter's day here in the tropics.
Unless you are already acclimated to the consistently hot tropics compared to an unseasonal day in spring at a moderate latitude. I can handle conditions in mid-summer that would knock me on my butt in spring.
Just curious here, but is there any test or screening that a runner can do to check for potential abnormalities or issues?
EKG? Cholesterol test? Heart scan?
Go to a cardiologist and have them do their typical workup. Typically EKG, blood work, stress test. Then request a calcium test score or a cardiac CT. Cardiac CT will tell you if you have any plaque in your arteries. Insurance may not want to cover it, but mine was only around $250.
What's also sad is that if any of these people had died while golfing they would say that he died doing something he loved.
There are unhealthy people who take up running later (from 20's on up) and have already established their clogged arteries.
Many of these people lose weight and feel great then think they are invincible.
They live an unhealthy lifestyle while taxing their already weakened body with running.
They run 1/2's and full marathons with little training and then this.
It's not running that causes these deaths. If it were, there would be a lot more runners dropping dead.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s not just running. It was NOT weather related. I’m not aware of deaths during Badwater where temps are over 100 at nighttime. These deaths are going to keep happening and it’s cruel of you to blame other people for being out of shape. This is clear to anyone who can understand pattern recognition. It’s the vacccine + the elevated HR. This kind of craziness never happened before they mandated vacccines for a race.
I didn't blame it on people being out of shape. They're not prepared for the distance.
And yes- if you could stand in the halls of a typical high school you'd see many overweight teens eating horribly unhealthy food. Yes, they're clogging their arteries. It's not cruel, it's reality.
People have been getting vaccinated since (1800 or so?). I was vaccinated at 5 for school- about 5 vaccines.
I went back to grad school at 37 and the college made me get vaccinated all over again.
I got the Covid vaccine and the booster and so did most everyone else.
Thankfully, deaths among runners in a race is rare. Death in general happens to all of us.
I have a family member who died at 47 from a heart attack- he was NOT active.
I'm 63 and very healthy- I've been vaccinated and I run. I've been running since I was 12.
My doctor says that with my family history this is what has kept me active and alive.
Bottom line- people should not be running longer races without the background and mileage.
While lifestyle can contribute to heart disease, it is not the main cause. I really hate blaming people for dying from a disease they more than likely inherited from their parents.
There are unhealthy people who take up running later (from 20's on up) and have already established their clogged arteries.
Many of these people lose weight and feel great then think they are invincible.
They live an unhealthy lifestyle while taxing their already weakened body with running.
They run 1/2's and full marathons with little training and then this.
It's not running that causes these deaths. If it were, there would be a lot more runners dropping dead.
Wrong and not useful narrative, also self contradictory in the bold part. If running isn’t causing these deaths, just let them run however they want and can.
Running starting 20s or beyond is just fine, even for those with clogged arteries, especially for those, and losing weight is also good for them, an important reason why their doctors and they themselves decided running was a good idea.
The rest of the narrative about feeling invincible and running marathons with little training isn’t true. They train too. One can not just run 13 or 26 miles without running a significant fraction of it during training.
It is not just runners with unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits that die running. Sometimes even young elites drop dead running. Case in point: Kenenisa Bekele’s fiancé and pro runner back in 2005 IIRC.
The number of millennials, the healthiest generation in American history, having heart attacks is unquestionably rising. The question is why
This couldn't just be because millennials are getting older, could it?
This. LOL at acting like it’s news that any generation’s heart attack rates are going up as the cohort ages. Now, if you show that incidence is increasing at a higher rate than would typically be expected just based on aging, you might have something, but this claim isn’t even being made.
Strange that you are so adamant that you know what did/didn’t contribute to this man’s death without being able to provide any evidence for your assertion.
