Normally people who wants to run marathons would have to start with short-distance races, climbing up gradually from 5-km runs, 10 km, half-marathon (21 km), and eventually to the full marathon. This process builds up their leg muscles and physical endurance slowly, preparing the body for the gruelling distance of a marathon race.
Given all these training and preparations, many people underestimate the number of deaths which occurred at marathons. In total there have been 47 recorded deaths so far around the world, excluding the deaths from 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and there is a possibility of more unrecorded cases. Perhaps this number shouldn’t be so surprising; after all, the idea of marathon races was originally meant to honour Pheidippides, a Greek soldier who passed away after running 42 kilometres (hence the modern marathon distance) from Marathon to Athens, Greece, to inform the Greek people of their army’s victory against Persians at the Battle of Marathon.
The other 46 cases span a period of slightly more than a century, from Francisco Lazaro who died at the 1912 Summer Olympics to David Seath, who collapsed at the 2016 London Marathon. The deadliest marathon ever was the one held in 2008 in New York City, where three runners passed away. All three, Carlos Jose Gomes, Joseph Marotta and Fred Costa, suffered heart attacks while running. In fact, 22 of the 47 deaths were associated with heart attacks, with another 9 attributed to other heart abnormalities. This means almost 7 in 10 marathon deaths are related to heart conditions!
The benefits of aerobic exercises are many and wide-ranging. These include strengthening respiratory muscles, strengthening and enlarging cardiac muscles, improving the heart’s pumping efficiency, improving blood circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure, increasing the number of red blood cells, facilitating transport of oxygen, reducing stress and depression, increasing cognitive capacity, reducing diabetes and osteoporosis risk, increasing endurance, and accelerating aerobic metabolism and muscle recovery.
The problem with marathon deaths, then, is not with running per se. It’s more due to a mixture of multiple factors, both physical and environmental, which arise during a marathon. For starters, running a full marathon would take about 2-2.5 hours if you have a pair of the world’s fastest legs. If you’re an average runner, however, getting to the finish line would take about 4-4.5 hours. Non-stop running for this duration is a pretty big undertaking!
Another factor is high temperature, especially if the race is run in a tropical country or in late mornings. Exertional heat stroke or hyperthermia is in fact the #3 cause of marathon deaths. The #2 cause, between cardiac arrests and heat strokes, is hyponatremia and other cases of electrolyte imbalances. Perhaps surprisingly, this is the inverse of dehydration, which people in general are more likely to point as a probable cause of death. Hyponatremia means sodium deficiency, overhydration, or water intoxication, caused by an excessive consumption of water.
To sum up, running is a good exercise with a lot of health benefits. Running in marathons does carry certain risks, but these risks can be minimised. Always start with short-distance races and slowly build up your endurance until you’re used to running half-marathons before making the jump to a full marathon. Drink enough water but not too much, and try to keep your body as cool as possible. Most importantly, always alert the race committee or health personnel if you feel uncomfortable in any way during a race!
+6594380070