Death Runs

They train hard, follow the best possible diet and have every confidence that they’ll make it to the finish line. Instead, they are dropping dead.

Over the years, marathons across the world have been seeing increased participation, with more and more runners, both first time and seasoned, testing their endurance. But, are marathoners assessing their physical condition well before participating in long runs?

Of late, quite a few marathoners, even the seasoned ones, have lost their lives, setting off alarm bells among the running community. The recent deaths of two runners during the Mumbai marathon once again highlighted the enormity of the problem. Not long ago, seasoned marathoner Steve Shanks died soon after completing the London Marathon in three hours, while the Hong Kong Marathon 2024 was marred by the death of another runner.

Dr Chandrasekhar Ramini, a marathoner and Orthopaedic surgeon, is concerned about the surge in deaths and hospitalisation of runners, despite the availability of the best medical support.

“Cardiovascular issues, heat exhaustion and electrolyte imbalance due to insufficient fluid and electrolyte intake are the main reasons for the increasing deaths among runners,” he feels.

Heat and hormones

Runners seem to think they have an invincibility halo. “Periodic heart check-ups help in preventing many unfortunate events. Adequate rest before the event and while training is a must to reduce stress levels. There should be sufficient hydration and intake of salts,” says Dr Ramini, while pointing out that even the weather (on the day of race) has a major impact on the body in terms of requirement of water, salts and body temperature regulation.

He says adrenaline rushes lead to a rise in inflammatory substances in the blood, which makes many organs in the body susceptible to injury.

Listen to your body

“Being sensible, observant and listening to your own body is key, rather than pushing hard after the body gives up. Runners should always step back and abandon the race instead of pushing beyond the warnings given by the body,” says the doctor-marathoner, adding that races are conducted every year and one can always participate another time. “Abandoning the race should not carry a sense of shame but looked at as a triumph of self assessment and care,” he notes.

Multiple causes

Sai Harsha Kalburge, a triathlete (Ironman), says many factors affect the body’s capacity to heal, including prior medical issues, training plans and their implementation, nutrition, sleep, mental stress, and lifestyle choices. He says endurance athletes strive to improve their performance from one training session to the other, yet every training session puts a great deal of physical and mental pressure on the body.

“In addition to recovering from the previous training session’s stress, the body should strengthen itself to surpass its prior performance,” he says.

Determining the impact of these influences on our bodies, whether beneficial or harmful, is a challenging task. “On the surface, everything appears fine, but a deeper understanding of these variables is vital; otherwise, training sessions will be counterproductive,” feels Harsha, who works as an HR director in a firm.

Talking of how to prevent any adverse effects of training, Harsha says paying attention to your body (it will always signal you) is vital. “There’s a fine line between pushing yourself and going beyond what your body can physically handle,” he stresses.

He says athletes need to make wise decisions, like eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and striving to achieve a healthy work-life balance. “Setting realistic goals as per your body’s capabilities rather than trying to copy someone you come across on social media is important. After all, no two fingers are alike,” says Harsha, adding that conducting routine medical exams and consulting, professionals like nutritionist, dieticians, coaches and doctors is a must.

Tragedy strikes marathons

Two participants, Suvradeep Banerjee, aged 40, and Rajendra Bora, 74, died and 22 others were hospitalised during the annual Tata Mumbai Marathon held recently. A software engineer, Banerjee was a seasoned marathoner.

A 30-year old man died after finishing the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2024. Over 40 participants were hospitalised during the half-marathon. In the previous years, there were five deaths at the event.

In 2023, Dinesh Kumar (20) died while participating in a marathon in Madurai after suffering a cardiac arrest. It was discovered that he also suffered from an epileptic episode.

The fact remains that exercise improves health more significantly than sedentary lifestyles. But after every major marathon, reading about the lives lost does make one think about the dangers associated with endurance exercises. — Dr Chandrasekhar Ramini, doctor and marathoner

Exercise patience - attempting to go too fast too soon is a sure shot way to fail. — Sai Harsha Kalburge, triathlete