RUNNING WILL KILL YOU

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/michigan.marathon.deaths/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

yikes

Dx

hypertrophic cardiopmyopathy
hyponatremia?

I don't know about the older dude who hit his head but I sort of assumed that the lack of info about the other two guys pointed towards hypothermia.

Jim Fixx to thread.

ooh, maybe. seems weird that they'd drop dead from hypothermia, though.

One report I read said that all three died from cardiac arrest but didn't speculate on the cause.

It really wasn't that cold yesterday, but the whole situation is very strange.

young men dying suddenly of cardiac arrest during marathons = classic presentation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, imo

My partner ran in a half marathon in San Jose a couple of weeks ago. He and nearly 10,000 others finished just fine, but two runners died.

There's a longer article here btw.

friend of mine collapsed and died recently while out jogging. i'm fairly sure that was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The San Jose fatalities were also quite young -- 34 and 35. Found an article that says pretty much what you would expect:

Deaths in marathons are uncommon - some studies have estimated roughly 1 death per 50,000 runners - and they're even more unusual in half marathons. Most deaths are the result of previously undiagnosed heart conditions.

:(

v sorry to hear that

xp

That's terrible; my condolences.

Yeah, that's awful.

Deaths in marathons are uncommon - some studies have estimated roughly 1 death per 50,000 runners - and they're even more unusual in half marathons

All three Detroit deaths were in the half-marathon.

I wasn't very close to her, in that I knew her mostly as a friend of my housemate but it was still a real shock. Frightening especially that she was a good coupla years younger than me and there was just no way of detecting the condition before.

my brother's friend died just taking a jog. it's scary how random it is, even if it's uncommon.

Scary, but also it seems totally unjust.

^^^ definitely, I am about to schedule a physical as a first step to actually getting my ass active again and reading these stories is terrifying; it's like, okay maybe I'll get winded walking up 4 flights of stairs if I continue sitting on my ass but at least I won't fall over dead in the street

i die all the time while running

we're not talking the Shakespearian meaning of "die" dude

Neighbour of ours also died out jogging. She was in her 40s.

Singer's brother, 51, died in a marathon the other day.

:-(

getting my ass active again

Oh that's how you describe it." Hey honey, I'd like to get my ass active." "Sorry, dere, I have an assache."

Seems accurate enough.

my 10th grade english teacher also died this spring in a bike race. 40 years old :(

terrifying

I'm sorry, that's so young :( This doesn't only happen in athletic contexts though - a high school friend died of an undiagnosed heart problem at age 18 just doing everyday, non-intense stuff. It seems really random and yeah, completely unfair.

A friend ran a marathon in Boston this weekend. She is still alive, so far as I know.

friend of a friend died couple of months ago at 28 of a heart attack that started in his parents living room and killed him in the back of the taxi to the hospital. Undiagnosed heart conditions in being potentially fatal at all sort of different times non-shocker.

+ of course terrifying.

its amazing the heart keeps on going as long as it does

This is exactly why I don't get marathons. The first dude that tried it died - why do you want to repeat it?

i have a hard time imagining hyponatremia in weather that cold.

how do you test for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? making me scared!

you don't

running scared :-(

Fucking scary as hell. Yes! My dumbass smokes, drinks, and does drugs. If I simply gave up all of the above, and even started so much as a certifiably healthy regiment as runner/fitness nut, I'm sure I would die a premature death in a timed event. Marathons are so out of my lifestyle. And I don't plan on changing that. Not one bit. Not one bit.

Detroit is a rough fuckin' town.

its true - those runners were murdered dudes - thats what hypertrophic cardiomyopathy means fyi

We had a lecture on exercise-associated hyponatremia last year. It is apparently being recognized more as an issue of excessive fluid intake, instead of excessive fluid loss. Physical activity increases levels of anti-Diuretic Hormone (as does other stuff that can happen to tissues during running, like hypoxia and hypoglycemia), and if you are hitting the water stations at every mile, or doing it when you're not thirsty, you just keep that water in you, and all the body's sodium gets diluted out to dangerous levels (which are not really far away from normal levels, really).

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, yeah, that just happens to some people.

This thread + Stephen Gately incident making me nervous for friend whose father was born with possibly hereditary heart condition that was only just noticed last year after 60 years... friend is not getting checked because there is basically nothing that can be done about it except a) worry and b) take blood pressure tablets daily even though they're not much use in this case (as I understand it, which is v little)

Thread is sad and worrying, condolences to everyone who's lost someone in this sudden way.

Jogger killed in Fairmount Park

Published: Friday, August 07, 2009

By Bernard J. Scally

A female jogger was killed Tuesday evening on Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park. According to police a branch fell from a overhead tulip poplar and crushed 23-year-old Mary Ladany. Police believe that Ladany did not hear the branch crack because she was listening to her iPod. The tree may have been weakened by the storms that blew through the area this past Sunday.

Oh geez, like I go around listening for cracking branches in the slim chance that one will happen to fall and crush me. Sometimes you can't avoid falling shit.

iPODS WILL KILL U

I read something in Snopes about a guy in SF who zoned out when jogging and ran right off a cliff. (And although its in Snopes it was in fact true as far as they could ascertain).

We had a lecture on exercise-associated hyponatremia last year. It is apparently being recognized more as an issue of excessive fluid intake, instead of excessive fluid loss.

Good article from a few years back re: hyponatremia in marathon runners: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/sports/othersports/20marathon.html?scp=2&sq=hyponatremia&st=cse

Everyone always thinks they need to hydratehydratehydrate, when really, your bod is quite effective at letting you know when you need water: you get thirsty.

even if you weren't listening to your ipod, what's the likelihood you'd hear a crack and think, "must be that branch way up ahead, better run off the road in case it falls at the very moment i run under it"?

This thread + Stephen Gately incident making me nervous for friend whose father was born with possibly hereditary heart condition that was only just noticed last year after 60 years... friend is not getting checked because there is basically nothing that can be done about it except a) worry and b) take blood pressure tablets daily even though they're not much use in this case (as I understand it, which is v little)

Hi

I've joined this forum simply to reply to the above comment.

I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and wanted to tell your friend that this is NOT necessarily a death sentence. The worst thing they can do is ignore it and hope they have not inherited it, as the is a 50% chance that they have.

Once diagnosed it can be controlled and you can live your life accordingly - probably to a good old age. It may mean that they shouldn't do competitive sports, but I know people with this condition who still do, or at least keep fit - even run marathons - because they have the device and/or medication to control it.

Stephen Gately was never diagnosed and it has still not been confirmed whether or not he had this particular condition (although it is highly likely). I am surprised he was not screened, as there was a history of sudden death on his father's side of the family.

As it was in fact your friend's father who died, there is no excuse not to get checked out.

I have an implanted defibrilator which monitors my heart rate and would pace or even restart me if necessary, and I take one tablet a day. This allows me the confidence to lead a full and active life (I'm 46).

I really hope this helps. For further info, go to http://adult.cardiomyopathy.org/index.php#2

thx!

Everyone always thinks they need to hydratehydratehydrate, when really, your bod is quite effective at letting you know when you need water: you get thirsty.

i thought they always said 'by the time you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated'

^^^ yup

Hi JinjerTom, thanks for your post! It does help. I'll see if I can find a not-too-annoying way to encourage him to get checked out. Glad medical treatment is working out for you.

No worries - I'm on a bit of a mission to promote awareness of cardiomyopathy and the Stephen Gately incident (whether directly connected or not) has given me a great platform. Hope that doesn't seem callous or morbid!