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What's going on with distance runners?
MSNBC is passing along an AP story on THREE runners who died during the Detroit Marathon. That is so tragic and almost unheard of for even one runner to die in a race. Should there be any extra precautions or entry requirements to try and avoid this in the future, or is the safety net fine and this was just a tragic one-time event?
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October 19, 2009 06:37 PM
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This isn't an easy question to answer. Even for those who are really fit, a lot can go wrong during a marathon especially if the weather is too hot or too cold. A few years ago there was a tragedy at the Chicago Marathon - the temperature was unseasonably hot on marathon day and a runner lost his life due to heat exhaustion (I think that's what it was). It was clear to those in charge of the marathon that the conditions were unsafe so they shut the marathon down.
But that begs the question - why did the runners keep running? Why didn't they pull themselves out? If you endured training for the marathon you KNOW the risks of what you are doing. I trained through a heat wave and I tried to avoid running when the temperature hit above 80. And you need to drink a ton of water under these circumstances. m
I don't know what the conditions were in Detroit but I think that runners should take responsibility for their own safety. Consult with your doctor before you even start training and read up on common runner problems and injuries. Don't let the "marathon stubbornness" end your life. If you need to stop during the race, stop. There will always be another marathon.
I also think that the people who run the marathon should assess outdoor conditions and know when to cancel or postpone the marathon. In my opinion, that Chicago Marathon should have been postponed in the first place. But they did the right thing by shutting it down before any more tragedies took place.
Sadly, the Detroit tragedy has happened before and it probably will happen again. Marathons always have a safety team patrolling the route. If you're having trouble or are sick stop running and call 911. There is no honor to putting your life at risk.
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But that begs the question - why did the runners keep running? Why didn't they pull themselves out? If you endured training for the marathon you KNOW the risks of what you are doing. I trained through a heat wave and I tried to avoid running when the temperature hit above 80. And you need to drink a ton of water under these circumstances. m
I don't know what the conditions were in Detroit but I think that runners should take responsibility for their own safety. Consult with your doctor before you even start training and read up on common runner problems and injuries. Don't let the "marathon stubbornness" end your life. If you need to stop during the race, stop. There will always be another marathon.
I also think that the people who run the marathon should assess outdoor conditions and know when to cancel or postpone the marathon. In my opinion, that Chicago Marathon should have been postponed in the first place. But they did the right thing by shutting it down before any more tragedies took place.
Sadly, the Detroit tragedy has happened before and it probably will happen again. Marathons always have a safety team patrolling the route. If you're having trouble or are sick stop running and call 911. There is no honor to putting your life at risk.
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October 19, 2009 02:27 PM
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Distance running seems to be in vogue now, making it more competitive and making people who should not compete try it anyway. But there is no accounting for people - if they read all the warnings and run anyway when they should not. There are plenty of precautions in place now, and distance races are safer than they have ever been.
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October 19, 2009 03:09 PM
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It is a tragedy that three runners died in the Detroit Marathon, but I think that extra precautions would simply lead to a society that is more insular and afraid of living than it is now. The simple truth is that we seem to believe that we should be protected from everything that could potentially hurt us. Children can't play tag or dodge ball becuase someone might get hurt and then we wonder why we have a nation of obese children (and adults). If a drug company works for 98 percent of the people out there but some people have an adverse reaction, we pull it off the market and sue the heck out of the company for letting it be distributed. It has to stop.
If I decided to run in a maarathon, (you have no idea how funny that concept is) then I should be taking responsibility for my own health and well-being to do it. No one is forcing me to run; no one is chasing me. The only responsibility the race organizers have is to provide a reasonably safe environment, i.e. a route with minimal traffic, etc. Otherwise, you know the risks when you sign up.
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If I decided to run in a maarathon, (you have no idea how funny that concept is) then I should be taking responsibility for my own health and well-being to do it. No one is forcing me to run; no one is chasing me. The only responsibility the race organizers have is to provide a reasonably safe environment, i.e. a route with minimal traffic, etc. Otherwise, you know the risks when you sign up.
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October 19, 2009 03:15 PM
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Distance running is a trend nowadays but it involves lot of preparation. A person who is interested in joining one should subject himself to a medical check up first with his physician to guarantee that he is physically fit to venture into a distance running for it requires a lot of physical effort and it might compromise the safety of the person who is joining one. So responsibility and good preparation is a must so as not to jeopardize and risk the health of an individual.
An example are the 3 persons who joined Detroit marathon where they collapsed and died. An autopsy is yet to be conducted on them to determine the cause of their death.
You can read more about them at this link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/40323.html
But the sheer number of them who died doing the marathon is enough to cause a red flag on this kind of event. The sponsors should be strict on guidelines as for those who should qualify to join the race. And for those who are joining to be aware of the risk involve if they are not physically-fit and prepared to join such race.
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An example are the 3 persons who joined Detroit marathon where they collapsed and died. An autopsy is yet to be conducted on them to determine the cause of their death.
You can read more about them at this link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/40323.html
But the sheer number of them who died doing the marathon is enough to cause a red flag on this kind of event. The sponsors should be strict on guidelines as for those who should qualify to join the race. And for those who are joining to be aware of the risk involve if they are not physically-fit and prepared to join such race.
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October 19, 2009 09:52 PM
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I used to be a distance runner so I have some experience with the issue. I ran 3-5 miles daily sometimes up to 10 miles for years. While these distances are more reasonable, I feel that running 26 miles is too much for people to handle. Sure people can train for it and work their way up to it, but there is no reason anyone should make themselves run that much at one time in my opinion. I don't think it's healthy for the body, and these stories of people dieing during marathons is an example of how it puts too much stress on the body.
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October 20, 2009 07:44 AM
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Dear Question.
I have run in a total of one full marathon with two months training. Due to an increase in subliments being distributed for free in race bags i can conclude these high energy foods increase the rate on the heart and overload the body
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I have run in a total of one full marathon with two months training. Due to an increase in subliments being distributed for free in race bags i can conclude these high energy foods increase the rate on the heart and overload the body
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October 22, 2009 02:42 AM
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/10/3-runners-die-in-detroit-safety-of.... Helpful Answer? (0)
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This article by a couple of sports scientists is very interesting. A scientific look at what's really being played up by the media.
---quote---
Whenever this kind of incident happens, there is debate and discussion around the safety of running. It's always bad press for running. It is a topic that pops up fairly regularly, and we've actually covered it in a fair amount of detail here on The Science of Sport.
---endquote---
---quote---
The reality is that people who die during exercise have some underlying, probably undetected condition that predisposes them to a cardiac event during exercise. Those who are simply unfit don't die - they just stop at the 10 mile mark (or sooner) and walk the rest of the way, because their brain does not allow them to continue running. The fact of the matter is that there are conditions that predispose us to sudden cardiac death, and exercise can bring this out - but it could happen to the elite (Ryan Shay, a few soccer players in recent years) or to the average runner. It's not that they're unfit or undertrained.
---endquote---
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---quote---
Whenever this kind of incident happens, there is debate and discussion around the safety of running. It's always bad press for running. It is a topic that pops up fairly regularly, and we've actually covered it in a fair amount of detail here on The Science of Sport.
---endquote---
---quote---
The reality is that people who die during exercise have some underlying, probably undetected condition that predisposes them to a cardiac event during exercise. Those who are simply unfit don't die - they just stop at the 10 mile mark (or sooner) and walk the rest of the way, because their brain does not allow them to continue running. The fact of the matter is that there are conditions that predispose us to sudden cardiac death, and exercise can bring this out - but it could happen to the elite (Ryan Shay, a few soccer players in recent years) or to the average runner. It's not that they're unfit or undertrained.
---endquote---
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/10/3-runners-die-in-detroit-safety-of.... Helpful Answer?
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