Distance Running Deaths Are Aberations

My first thoughts on hearing of the death of three runners at last weekend's Detroit Marathon was that they were runners who had not properly trained. It appears I was wrong to jump to that conclusion, just as there was error in the reporting of the incident. The three runners were running the half-marathon distance and apparently were well prepared and well conditioned for the race. Preliminary rulings are that the three men died of cardiac arrest, though investigators say it will be weeks before final autopsy reports are complete, perhaps then painting a more complete picture of what might have gone wrong. Doubtless, this is a tragedy and all runners mourn this loss of life.

However, I hope there is no rush to judge the somewhat extreme sport of distance running as hazardous to the health of those who practice it. In fact, the comments I have seen from medical and fitness professionals is that far more lives are extended than are lost due to marathoning. Nevertheless, there will be a chorus of told-you-so's from those who already think the extremity of distance running is begging injury and other hardships, including death. The important matter here is to look at the facts; the most convincing statistic I have seen is that the odds of dying in a marathon are somewhere around 1 in 75,000.

This said, allow me to step onto my soap box and address the initial reaction I had upon hearing of the three runners dying. Distance running is extreme if not prepared for properly. This means training long and wisely. It means learning good nutrition and proper hydration. It means making oneself aware of the basics of electrolytes, learning to use race course (and training course) energy gels and, most importantly, learning the language of your body. All of this should be part of a holistic training regimen. Then we can go out and challenge ourselves with the extremities of a half or full marathon, even the ultra distances of 50K and 50 miles, and we can do it safely.

Happy and safe training.

P.S. We recently lost a runner here in San Antonio who was hit and killed by an automobile. Safe training means making yourself visible and always being alert to your surroundings. Buy a good vest and other reflective items and use them like a religion.