Three Detroit marathon deaths not the norm

Jon Fenlon, 26, who died during the October 18, 2009 Detroit Marathon (AP Photo/Fenlon Family)

You can't win for losing. You start training for a marathon for all of the health benefits and to look stunning for your upcoming 20th reunion. It seems like an innocuous enough endeavor, yet one that also makes you look like a stud. Then you wake up on a Sunday morning and read that three people died while running the Detroit Half Marathon. If you were looking for an excuse to stop running you now have it. Heck, you have mouths to feed, Sodukus to complete, television finales to watch. You can't be doing something that might kill you.

Hold on, slow down. Let's not lose perspective. It's important to look at the historical and physiological facts when dealing with this type of tragedy. While it is human nature to ask, "Why not me?" when we see tragedy befall someone else, it is also human nature to question, "Why am I different from these guys that died?" Let's look into that.
 

History and the modern medical community tell us that running is not an inherently risky activity. A study on London Marathon runners over 20 years found that on average, only 1 in 67,414 marathon runners die due to causes linked to the race. That gives you and me some pretty decent odds. Some race directors even like to point out that more people are killed in car accidents as a result of roads being blocked for marathons than marathoners themselves.  

It's not enough to know that people die during marathons. We want to know why. The four major conditions leading to the deaths of marathon runners are:

1.  Heart disease or Coronary Artery Death - Heart attacks during long distance running are caused by the combination of the physical strain of running with the runner's pre-existing heart disease. This type of death usually occurs in a runner over 35 years old.  As long-time running coach Roy Benson points out, "Running doesn't cause heart attacks. Heart disease causes heart attacks."
2. Heart defects or sudden cardiac death -  Some runners have genetic undiagnosed heart defects. A number of conditions can lead to the sudden failure of the heart especially when the heart is being overly and lengthily strained during a marathon.
3. Hyponatremia ("water intoxication") - In the last few years some runners have tried so hard to remain hydrated that they have overdone it. Water intoxication occurs when a runner drinks so much water that his/her sodium levels in the blood become completely diluted. This can cause swelling in the brain and eventual death. Consumption of sport's drink and salt tablets can help prevent this.
4. Heat related illnesses - Extreme dehydration is the most common heat related illness. When the body becomes dehydrated, it is more and more difficult for it to regulate its temperature. Body temperature therefore rises leading to possible heat stroke, heat induced coma, then death.

So how did those three poor runners - ages 65, 36, and 26 - die? The weather was perfect for running: 40 degrees and overcast. All three died during the last part of the half marathon, within 16 minutes of each other. Being at the end of the race, their bodies were at points of extreme physical exertion.  We know that the oldest, Rick Brown, fell and hit his head. It appears he died from the blow. It is still unknown how the other two died. Speculation tells us that it was likely not dehydration since the weather was so cool. Families of all of the runners said that all three had trained well and were in good physical condition. Autopsy reports are still pending, but it seems an undetected heart condition might be the cause of death for the younger runners.

This story is a tragic and sobering one. It is important to remember however, that such deaths are rare. In fact you have a greater chance of choking to death or getting hit by a car than dying during a marathon. Running has so many physical and emotional benefits that we shouldn't let this tragedy in Detroit scare us off. So lace up those shoes and get ready to rock that reunion! 

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