Sarah True collapses as leader 1k before finish line at Ironman Frankfurt

That's unfortunate, but badass all the same

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

Hard to imagine that in a race where lactate levels are so low elites pass out, I imagine it would be more common in like a 400m or 800m race.

Huh?

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

Tragic moments at Ironman Frankfurt. Sarah True, big favorite to win the event, had a 10 minute lead before she collapsed 1k before the finish during her marathon split.

She was taken off the course by medics to give her infusions, but then she started fighting them and wanted to continue the race. She clearly wasn't herself anymore at this moment, and put her health in much greater risk than necessary. I hope she will recover.

Temperatures were 39C/103F, but very low humidity (20%). Times in elite male field were still super fast, compared to Hawaii where it's hot AND humid.

Was the heat the issue here? Or was she simply pushing too hard/going over her limits. Hard to imagine that in a race where lactate levels are so low elites pass out, I imagine it would be more common in like a 400m or 800m race.

Wow. Such a big lead.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

Tragic moments at Ironman Frankfurt. Sarah True, big favorite to win the event, had a 10 minute lead before she collapsed 1k before the finish during her marathon split.

She was taken off the course by medics to give her infusions, but then she started fighting them and wanted to continue the race. She clearly wasn't herself anymore at this moment, and put her health in much greater risk than necessary. I hope she will recover.

Temperatures were 39C/103F, but very low humidity (20%). Times in elite male field were still super fast, compared to Hawaii where it's hot AND humid.

Was the heat the issue here? Or was she simply pushing too hard/going over her limits. Hard to imagine that in a race where lactate levels are so low elites pass out, I imagine it would be more common in like a 400m or 800m race.

Sounds like you simultaneously know nothing about the Ironman, competitions in the heat, and the 400m/800m races.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

She was taken off the course by medics to give her infusions, but then she started fighting them and wanted to continue the race. She clearly wasn't herself anymore at this moment, and put her health in much greater risk than necessary. I hope she will recover.

Wasn't herself... i dunno. If i collapsed but knew i had 10min to basically walk the final km I'd be fighting too. After all that suffering? Just give me some water

What are the rules? can you be given IV against your will? Doctors make the call? Should maybe just simplify it and make it DQ for collapsing

The Overexplainer wrote:

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

Hard to imagine that in a race where lactate levels are so low elites pass out, I imagine it would be more common in like a 400m or 800m race.

Sounds like you simultaneously know nothing about the Ironman, competitions in the heat, and the 400m/800m races.

No man, elite 400m and 800m runners are constantly passing out. Some races more than half the field will collapse in the final straightway. Jeremy Wariner was famous for it, he almost set the world record dozens of times, but then collapsed mere meters from the finish line and had to be carted away to the nearest portapotty to evacuate his bowels.

Here are some youtube links to a ton of races where that happened:

Sarah also passed out in a race June 9th. Something is wrong. She needs to get herself thoroughly checked out.

Drainthefecesswamp wrote:

The Overexplainer wrote:

Sounds like you simultaneously know nothing about the Ironman, competitions in the heat, and the 400m/800m races.

No man, elite 400m and 800m runners are constantly passing out. Some races more than half the field will collapse in the final straightway. Jeremy Wariner was famous for it, he almost set the world record dozens of times, but then collapsed mere meters from the finish line and had to be carted away to the nearest portapotty to evacuate his bowels.

Here are some youtube links to a ton of races where that happened:

The Hot-lanta 1996 Olympic 100m and 200m finals were a bloodbath. Guys were swooning right and left. If they had had a 60m race there would have been a fatality or two.

then what happened wrote:

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

She was taken off the course by medics to give her infusions, but then she started fighting them and wanted to continue the race. She clearly wasn't herself anymore at this moment, and put her health in much greater risk than necessary. I hope she will recover.

Wasn't herself... i dunno. If i collapsed but knew i had 10min to basically walk the final km I'd be fighting too. After all that suffering? Just give me some water

What are the rules? can you be given IV against your will? Doctors make the call? Should maybe just simplify it and make it DQ for collapsing

Good point, I was just quoting what the TV reporters said. 1k before the finish she collapsed, on the ground. Paramedics came in to help her, carried her to the next tent.

Since she already got outside help at that point, she was DQed. The proper way to behave would have been to accept the infusion and the loss. Yet she was fighting (she was forcefully trying to get back on the course), she probably only thought about winning her first IM and her 10 minute lead that would be enough even if she walks a 13 min last km.

People constantly complain about MMA refs stopping fights too late, but in an Ironman they interfere when someone is literally on the ground, completely out of energy and yet the athlete still tries to get back? So either she is not interested in fair play, OR she was not herself at that moment and had limited thought processing, which is what I believe.

What if the medics would have waited another 5 min and she would have died on the spot? I'm glad they interfered, there will be other IMs for her in the future where she can finally get her first major win.

She may have also been fighting the IV because that would require receiving a retroactive TUE; while it should be granted for situations such as these, it's certainly a headache. Several of the pro triathletes at Kona last year who did not finish due to heat exhaustion refused IVs for this exact reason. It seems to me that Sarah is failing to continue to fuel properly towards the end of races, or perhaps her fuel isn't sufficient for her sweat rate / composition. Hard to know, but certainly something she should have the resources to get a handle on.

!!!!!!!!!! wrote:

Sarah also passed out in a race June 9th. Something is wrong. She needs to get herself thoroughly checked out.

Not so sure about that. Some people just don't do well with heat, especially in heat like that.

But it sounds like she has to dial in the fuel/liquid intake better.

totally agree with the medics pulling her. she could have had heat stroke so they had to act.

In an interview, she said that she can't remember the last kilometers of the race anymore. So she was out, the fighting the medics was just subconsciously trying to win her first IM, not bad behavior/sportsmanship.

Probably pure willpower helped her even get so far at the end, she most have had symptoms of body shutdown already before that 1km where she finally went to the ground.

+1 lol

More importantly, she needed to qualify to Kona. She raced in Australia and had to stop during the first half of the run. She flew to Germany and now this happened. It wasn’t about the win, it was about qualifying and knowing she can prepare for her WC. Blame it on global warming

The biggest misconception is that the pros have limitless resources. Her last YouTube video was heartbreaking. The disappointment, the pressure, the need to place, qualify, to make money. Not everybody is on Nike’s dime or connected to the Olympic Training Centers.

bloviating wrote:

The biggest misconception is that the pros have limitless resources. Her last YouTube video was heartbreaking. The disappointment, the pressure, the need to place, qualify, to make money. Not everybody is on Nike’s dime or connected to the Olympic Training Centers.

Or get a real job

Just looked at her Cairns video.

Looks like she is trying too hard.

And maybe she is just not good enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEaqV59_8TM

The way she was swaying she might easily have collapsed and hit her head hard on that asphalt had not the other competitor gotten to her just then. She collapsed almost immediately thereafter. Great call to treat on an emergency basis. I've seen heatstroke and she appeared to be there. So close, just cut it too close.