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Death at Nottingham Festival of Running

5.5K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  Revenged  
#1 ·
Heard on news that someone collapsed and died after completing the half-marathon :((

Don't know the circumstances but the dude probably thought going out and running a half-marathon would be good for his/her health and then that happens.
 
#4 ·
Not good reading, I'm doing a half in about four weeks ! perhaps the guy had not trained enough or had some unknown health problem such as congenital heart disease. some one died after the London marathon a couple of years ago but the rest of the field did not so it's best just to keep going, I think you are more at risk of being hit by a car training for an event than dropping dead afterwards.
 
#5 ·
I hate reading about things like this - beyond the tragedy that is this poor guys death, it's the kind of news story that scares some people into thinking there's a risk of death from running, to the point where they think they're better off sat at home doing nothing rather than getting out for a run!

Terrible news though, and without wanting to sound morbid, I'd be interested to hear the circumstances surrounding the death :((
 
#6 ·
I'd be interested to hear the circumstances surrounding the death :((

Well - here is a bit more on it - what is concerning is that his finish was just under 2 hours - do you think maybe he was pushing himself a bit to get under the 2 hour mark? I hear about 'getting under the 2 hours' quite a lot..... almost like a lot of people aim for this, and maybe its a bit beyond their ability!

runner dies after taking part in the Robin Hood Festival of Running in Nottingham

:worried:
 
#8 ·
It's so incredibly sad, but you never know what the circumstances are, and you never know when your card's marked :(

Statistically, I've read that there will be something like one death per marathon from every 800,000 hours of running from a cardiac related symptom - the figures go down the shorter the race is. For the London Marathon, the stats show 1 death for every 2 million miles run.

Isn't it a strange thing that it's always men who collapse and die at these events, I can't remember hearing of a woman (and research suggests men are much more likely to suffer heart cell death during endurance events).

It often turns out that there was a pre-existing condition that the run just triggers (heart condition/abnormality/other) I'm wondering if it could have been hyponatremia related - it was a hot day, perhaps he took on a lot (far too much) water - hopefully we will find out to put minds at rest that running isn't generally dangerous.
 
#11 ·
10 years ago I went to get the bus and actually was run over! (by a car not the bus) and survived to tell the tale so I guess this shouldnt put me off running. I read today an old story about a supposedly fit guy who dropped dead during a rugby match, turned out he had a heart condition no one knew about, a similar thing happened to an old school friend last year.

After thinking about this for a bit I'd much rather die doing something I enjoy like running than from heart disease bought on from years of inactivity
 
#15 · (Edited)
Oh please….

1) The media. The reporting of deaths like this is ridiculous, you may as well reported some chap died getting out of bed this morning.
2) The reaction from runners who suddenly become worried about long runs?
3) Thinking that this would have any effect on someone’s attitude to running, who in their right mind would not run because of this?

I come from a sport with negative media coverage when fatalities occur, and a high death and injury rate perceived by the general public and media. This coverage you see is not particularly damaging to running, and if you really are worried about the dangers of running and death that much, then don’t do it. If you cant reconcile your risk acceptance levels and risk exposure levels to running, then to be honest, there is something more fundamental to worry about in your life.

Now I will get my coat in preperation for the flaming......... :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you Base... we all feel terrible that someone has died (and I'd feel equally bad to hear about someone who died getting out of bed...) and the general belief is that his death was probably more likely related to some other illness/health issue that may have been exacerbated by his efforts of running the half marathon.

Concern and beliefs on the risk of dying from running tend to be held by non-runners - I've already spoken to several people in the office today, all of which are non-runners, all of whom now seem to think running can kill you! :evil:
 
#17 ·
There have actually been quite a lot of deaths at races, both men and women, although it is more prevailent in men... could be due to any number of reasons, but most commonly it's an undiagnosed heart problem.

Maybe the media likes to highlight these particular fatalities to ease the conscience of those who do not do as much exercise as they should...?

But whatever people think, the percentage of runners or of those who exercise at our level who die during activity is immeasurably less than the percentage of people who die caused by problems due to 'inactivity' and an unhealthy lifestyle.
 
#19 ·
(Quote Base 813) Sorry to sort of vent, but I have lost friends, and most of my friends (and myself) carry metalwork in their bodies… to see this reporting and some of the reaction to it… well… Oh please….

Erm - well firstly I think it was posted because it is running related...(and especially as some forum members did that run)
Secondly - I don't think that anyone here is taking it as seriously as to stop them running(!) In the same way we weren't put off dogs by Lizzie's incident.
Thirdly - the fact you reacted to it..... like the rest of us! I react to stories about Amy Winehouse exactly the same way - like 'pleeease'! (But look how reaction to her feeds the media beast!!)
Fourthly - are you a T-800 Model 101?
 
#30 ·
Erm - well firstly I think it was posted because it is running related...(and especially as some forum members did that run)
Secondly - I don't think that anyone here is taking it as seriously as to stop them running(!) In the same way we weren't put off dogs by Lizzie's incident.
Thirdly - the fact you reacted to it..... like the rest of us! I react to stories about Amy Winehouse exactly the same way - like 'pleeease'! (But look how reaction to her feeds the media beast!!)
Fourthly - are you a T-800 Model 101?
Fair points all round.....

BTW: not quite T800 Model 101, more the T-600 prototype as I still have my real femurs at the moment...... :cool:
 
#20 ·
one had a theory that your heart has a pre-determined number of beats it can manage in its lifetime... and by running, you elevate the heart rate, increasing beats per minute, and therefore reducing the time period before your heart 'runs out of beats' and stops working?! :huh:
 
#28 ·
i run and swim because i have a heart problem. I ran and swam before my heart attack and i will continue to do so. :p i'm lucky in that i know about my problem and it cannot creep up on me:lol:

Richard i have also heard the theory regarding the heart having so many beats to a lifetime. however, as exercise strengthens the heart and slows the HB then the number of beats you have last longer:d
 
#29 ·
I could work out if my new lowered resting heart rate results in more beats per lifetime or not, minus the extra heartbeats accrued during running, but I am not a geek and not much good at maths :d
 
#31 ·
I also think the media can be very irresponsible here. It does give more ammunition to anti-runners and needlessly scares current runners. Every day somebody young and healthy dies because of an undiagnosed congenital problem. Often they will just be sitting on their sofa or walking to the shops. In most city marathons someone will die because they were unfit and pushed themselves too far. It's sad, but it happens. But it happens so rarely that it is silly to worry about it. I'm sure statistically, running is quite a safe sport. I bet the biggest health risk from running relates to being run over by traffic or attacked by a mob of teenagers, not from a random heart attack. As long as you are properly hydrated and aren't pushing yourself too much (i.e running a marathon with no training), you will most likely be fine.