What's the closest to death you've ever come on a run?

On a 10 miler at altitude of 7,500.

Ran like 54 minutes but I got drunk the night before and chugged water before the run and could feel the water inside me.

Should be dead because I did it many times.

Heart attack after a long run.

http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/10/a_heart_attack_at_21_sends_gra.html

One night I went for a simple recovery run on the iron horse trail. The winds were extremely strong at the time but I thought nothing of it as it was just annoying for me. Every time I run alone I play music and it's impossible for me to hear anything else. When I decided to turn back around to go home, there was point on the trail where I could only see pure darkness and the sky. I thought I made a wrong turn which freaked me out because I've ran on the trail hundreds of times. I pulled my phone to see what it was and a huge tree, at least 100ft tall and was pretty wide, was laying in the middle of trail. If I ran by a couple minutes earlier I would have died easily no questions asked. Since I was listening to music, I would have not heard the tree falling to get out of the way time. The tree also destroyed someone's backyard pretty bad too which sucks for those people. Any runners that live in San Ramon/Danville in California would have easily seen this.

Trippedandfell wrote:

was running an isolated technical mountain trail in my own. About 10 miles into 13 I was feeling pretty shitty and I tripped and fell. As I laid there feeling sorry for myself the rattlesnake I'd fallen into started rattling, I jumped off the trail just in time for it to fall short of me when it struck. Had it gotten me in the neck, that far out, not sure if I'd have made it back to the trailhead.

But I bet someone can beat that

I would have assumed it was already game over for you after having fallen into a rattlesnake.

Running on the Lakefront Trail near downtown Chicago during a storm. It was very cold out, and on one stretch of the trail the waves were crashing over the wall, across the trail, and slamming into the storm wall. I was in this "nothing can stop me from finishing my run -- I'm too tough!" mindset, and I thought I could time the waves to make it across that section of trail (maybe 50-100 yards long). After the next wave crashed across then began to recede, I bolted down the trail towards safety. Another wave (fortunately smaller) came over the wall, and I splashed the last several yards through ankle deep water. Just as I made it to dry ground, a huge wave slammed across the trail and into the storm wall. I often think about how incredibly stupid I was. I could have easily been pulled into the lake (in 40 degree weather in a storm) or knocked unconscious against the wall. I finished the run with soaking, freezing feet, but did not return the same way!

1.) I ran a 16 miler on a humid summer night. The chill plus the atmosphere sucked all of the water out of me, and it was an out-and-back route in the country. 4 miles out I could feel the cold sweat of dehydration hit, bad. I just kept running because I knew the air would keep sucking the moisture out of me the longer I was out there. It was painful, and luckily I didn't hit the "wall", but when I got back I had lost 8 lbs of water.

2.) On my first marathon, I pushed it way too hard from 10-17, and it killed me. I was borderline walking by 18, but kept pushing through. My legs felt like utter shit and I could barely move. Even my breathing was becoming extremely labored. I got to a rest station and picked up some gatorade. Before drinking any, I spit some of the nasty saliva that had accumulated into the garbage. Half of it was blood. I drank some gatorade, and kept going, but vowed that if I saw any more blood that I would be done. Luckily I think it was a fluke, but I still don't know what caused it.

I'm an epileptic, and was out for a 12 miler on some isolated backroads. About 5 miles into it, I felt as though some wires were being crossed, and I started to jerk uncontrollably. I understood what was happening, and managed to call 911 and tell them the name of the road I was on (It wasn't a long one fortunately). I then lay down, blacked out, and woke up in the ambulance with a few IVs. I had just started a new medication...one that I will never use again. Be safe out there, always take a phone.

Was running in my hometown in high school with the other good runner on my team. I was having a pretty bad year, and he was at that time quite a bit faster than me, although I hadn't admitted it to myself yet. A train was coming at the railroad crossing ahead. We both started sprinting to try and beat the train. My friend made it easily, I made it but was very, very close to getting hit. Still mad at myself for taking such a stupid risk.

Hit by a car going about 40. Still alive but can't run.

a Dvck wrote:

I run past cemeteries on a regular basis.

Do you run for Caldwell OH HS? They train in the local cemetery.

I don't come close to death; death comes close to me.

I suppose most of us have had a close encounter with a car. I was struck, had my foot run over, and sustained three bone fractures in my foot. This would not qualify as a "near death" experience but for the fact that I had a flight scheduled for the next day and a blood clot developed under the cast. Fortunately, it was detected before it caused serious harm and I recovered fully.

Another gentleman on this thread told of coming across a downed tree and thinking it could have hit him. I think anyone who has run regularly for a decade or more has had a similar experience. I recall a time when, running in a storm down a path, a large tree lim fell with a crack maybe 20 or 30 feet in front of me. I thought it could have killed me, but if you think about it clearly, you realize it was maybe one chance in a thousand it happened that close, but it would have been one in a million for it to have landed right on your head.

The winner so far is the guy who came nose to nose with a rattlesnake. Man, I've never run in that sort of terrain and climate, but that's a closer call than I ever hope to experience.

Boston Marathon 2013. A couple of d-bags tried to blow me up. One died and the other got life in prison today, so there's that.

Similar story on Chicago's lakefront, up by Fullerton, only it was winter and the waves made for ice on the bike path, which I (stupidly) didn't realize until I'd turned onto it. Almost as soon as I realized what a mistake I'd made I slipped on the ice and fell (breaking my arm in 2 places), landing less than 2 feet from the drop off into the lake. It was dark, deserted, and the water was very cold -- had I gone in no one would have seen me and I would have been dead within minutes.

I had to gather up my arm and walk into Lincoln Park until a cop finally came along and took me to the ER.

Once while running under a bridge and icicle fell and hit the brim of the baseball cap I was wearing. one-half step faster and it could have been like a knife into the top of my head.

Another time I was running against traffic on a narrow road with about 3 inches from the white line to the edge of the payment. I wasn't too concerned because no car was coming towards me. Suddenly a car passes me from behind in the left lane. The speed limit was 45 but no one stays under the limit. The car passing within inches of me was probably going at least 65 to pass the car traveling in the right lane. I didn't realize what was happening until he was past but he was too close for comfort.

I've escaped multiple close calls with falling rocks, projectiles, even falling pianos. There's always been a suspicious looking coyote lurking around but I'm afraid to ask him if he knows what's going on