Monday, October 19, 2009
The Tragic Side of Running
By now, I'm sure you know three runners died on Sunday during or after the half-marathon portion of the Detroit Free-Press Marathon. Temperatures were in the 40s and the race's medical staff was on the scene in seconds in each situation. We'll never know if the three runners had heart conditions they didn't know about. We'll never know anything more than they died of heart attacks. I feel terrible for the families of the runners and for the Detroit race organizers who worked hard to put on a safe event. This isn't the first race to have deaths in the headlines this year and probably won't be the last. My good friend Mark Buciak, who has 30 straight Boston Marathons despite having open-heart surgery in 2005, has good advice. Get an annual physical. I have advice for race organizers. Do what they do in a lot of the European races; require a physical as part of the entry process or at least a note from a doctor saying that the applicant is in good health and capable of running a marathon, half-marathon or whatever. Comments???
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hey Bob, I hear what you are saying but feel it should be left up to participants' discretion as to whether we get the annual physical. We do sign a medical liability waiver before each race. For folks who are unable to obtain health insurance, getting a note from a doctor is not a simple task. Most docs won't see folks who are uninsured. Therefore, healthy, uninsurable folks (including me) would end up not being able to race. If and when we have universal health care, then I could see this being fair. Though there's also the issue of "where do you draw the line?" -- a half-marathon? A 5k? I remember an elderly gentleman having a heart attack at the Park Ridge Charity Classic 5k a couple years ago, in fair conditions; clearly he should have had a physical before participating in the 5k, as should those new to running, but I'm not sure it would be feasible for all of us to get a doctor's note before every 5k.
You make some good points, particularly about health care. We need that system fixed ASAP. I have some, but it costs me a fortune. I do think it's good to get a discussion going on this topic. I guess what I'm trying to put across is that if more people know they have heart problems (or other problems), chances are they won't enter a marathon, or 5K etc. As to where to draw the line, I would start in running with anything 13.1 miles or longer having a physical requirement of some kind.
I think once we have universal health care (or at least when docs begin seeing those w/out insurance), 13.1+ would make sense. Until then, it's up to folks who have the privilege to see a doctor to get those check-ups on their own. Maybe the recent events will prompt them to do so...
Post a Comment