Runner dies in race

Sorry, try this link.

Sure it was from the heat? I didn't catch how long the race was, but we lose a couple each year from hyponatremia.

Very sad news. Tough to see someone die that young.

my thoughts on the topic wrote:

Sure it was from the heat? I didn't catch how long the race was, but we lose a couple each year from hyponatremia.

Very sad news. Tough to see someone die that young.

That's what I was thinking. Runners need to drink more gatorade and not just water.

Paint me a Birmingham wrote:

my thoughts on the topic wrote:

Sure it was from the heat? I didn't catch how long the race was, but we lose a couple each year from hyponatremia.

Very sad news. Tough to see someone die that young.

That's what I was thinking. Runners need to drink more gatorade and not just water.

You don't get hyponatremia unless you drink huge amounts of water in a short period of time, while also losing sodium from sweat. Runners don't get it below the marathon, and it only really shows up in things like Ironman triathlons. I don't know what caused his death, but I would bet a lot of money it wasn't hyponatremia.

heart defect.

brain annyeurism.

poisoning.

after those possibilities I really can only draw a blank.

I saw him fall over. He never regained conciousness. We cooled him off quickly but his breathing was very labored and spaced.

Emergency pesonell were slow and inefficient which was excruciating. He may have not made it under any circumstance but you expect an ambulance since two hospitals are 5 minutes away. Heat plus loss of conciousness is very dangerous and people in charge just did't seem to be able to respond

Dan Onymous wrote:

You don't get hyponatremia unless you drink huge amounts of water in a short period of time, while also losing sodium from sweat. Runners don't get it below the marathon, and it only really shows up in things like Ironman triathlons. I don't know what caused his death, but I would bet a lot of money it wasn't hyponatremia.

Thanks for the refresher course on hyponatremia. That's why I asked what the race distance was.

OK, I'll bite. What is hyponatremia?

it is strange, you tend to think you are invincible. I ran at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on friday and thought nothing of it. I've run during wind and cold advisories, hurricanes, and blizzards. Granted, I wasn't racing, but I never consider anything so dangerous as to risk my health, other than cars. If it is heat related it is pretty sobering to hear.

too lazy to google it wrote:

OK, I'll bite. What is hyponatremia?

When some hobbyjogger running a 6 hour marathon drinks 8 gallons of water and they flush out too much sodium in thier system resulting in low plasma sodium levels and death.

Marathons have started setting out scales along the course so you can weigh yourself every few miles to make sure your weight stays close to the same so you don't die of heat exhaustion or hyponatremia.

figment wrote:

it is strange, you tend to think you are invincible. I ran at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on friday and thought nothing of it. I've run during wind and cold advisories, hurricanes, and blizzards. Granted, I wasn't racing, but I never consider anything so dangerous as to risk my health, other than cars. If it is heat related it is pretty sobering to hear.

I worry about it sometimes. Though it's more along the lines of "if I keel over and die, will any of these people stop and do anything?"

I'd like to think they would, but I used to be naive enough to think they'd stop at stop signs too.

The weather this weekend was brutal. I'm a 1:31 half-marathoner (at age 49) and don't usually mind the N. Mississippi heat, but yesterday's 15 miler became an epic, and not a fun one. Two weeks ago, with AM weather in the mid-60s, I ran the return leg at 8:20 pace. Yesterday morning my last five miles were a descending scale beginning at 10:50 pace and ending up at 11:30 pace. I felt like a little old lady. I thought I was properly hydrated--I drank more than a quart during the 2:30 run, from bottles I'd stashed on the course--but still lost 7 pounds. And that final half mile was very rocky. So hearing that somebody has dropped dead....well, that doesn't surprise me. These are the dog days.

Dan Onymous wrote:

You don't get hyponatremia unless you drink huge amounts of water in a short period of time, while also losing sodium from sweat. Runners don't get it below the marathon, and it only really shows up in things like Ironman triathlons. I don't know what caused his death, but I would bet a lot of money it wasn't hyponatremia.

the race was a 4.7 mile run.

not a chance in the world he died of hyponatremia. i agree with your post completely.

some of the hobby joggers have bought into this idea of the need to stay constantly hydrated and drink at every chance they can.

why in the world are there water stops in a 5k? i have been at 5ks where they had 3 and 4 water stops. the only reason it could make sense is if you are planning to be out on the course an hour or so and might get thirsty, but even then it is certainly not needed.

you never hear of "faster" runners in marathons with this problem, it is only backpackers that have been taught the "importance of staying hydrated." maybe if they moved faster they would not have time to get drunk on water.

when a kid like this dies it is almost always a previously undiagnosed heart problem. very sad.