Around nine months ago I wrote a post questioning whether or not Marathons are healthy. I wrote the post a few days after I had completed the ING Georgia Marathon. In the half a year since that has passed I have trained for and ran the New York City Marathon and I am currently a few weeks away from running in the Disney Marathon.
The good news for anyone interested in running a Marathon is that I am still running with no real problems. I have reduced my mile pace by close to a minute and I have also lost close to fifteen pounds. I have been taking a vitamin supplement as well as glucosamine. I still can feel an old hip injury during the first couple of miles but otherwise I have not noticed any changes in my body.
The scary news is that during the past few months there have been multiple cases of sudden death during marathons. Chad Schieber collapsed during the Chicago Marathon this summer. His death has been attributed to a pre-existing heart condition. In April, 22 year old David Rogers collapsed after completing the London Marathon. His death has been attributed to hyponatraemia. Finally, there was the highly publicized death of Ryan Shay, the elite runner who perished while attempting to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. His death has also been linked to a pre-existing heart condition.
It should be noted that these young men who died while running made up a very small percentage of those who ran in Marathons and finished without a problem. Most of these men had pre-existing conditions and the stress of the marathon was too much for their bodies to take. These unfortunate events highlight the need to get a proper medical exam before attempting to run long distances. Marathons place a enormous amount of stress on the human body and you need to be sure that you are not putting yourself in danger.
No comments:
Post a Comment