Peril to the long-distance runner

Increasing numbers of people are participating in long-distance races such as marathons (26.3 miles) and half-marathons : up to 2 million Americans annually.

Research(1) undertaken from 2000 to 2010 determined the incidence of cardiac arrest and sudden death during such races and the characteristics of the affected participants.

Over the study period, 59 runners suffered cardiac arrest, an overall incidence of one per 184,000 runners. 42 of the attacks were fatal. The mean age of the victims was 39 years and 86 % of victims were men.

Cardiac arrest occurred most frequently in the last quarter of the marathon races. 40 of the cardiac arrests occurred during marathons ; 19 during half marathons.

Data regarding the cause of the cardiac arrest were available for 31 runners, 23 of whom died. Underlying heart disease was the most common cause of cardiac arrest :

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle) was confirmed or suspected as the cause of death in 15 of 23 cases. Among survivors, the most common cause of cardiac arrest was ischemic heart disease. Survivors benefited from medical teams at races and early bystander-initiated CPR(2), which ensured a better treatment response than if the arrest had occurred in an isolated setting, including at home.

Despite the alarming headlines, the authors point to research which shows that running a marathon is less risky than triathlons or jogging. Anyone for tennis ?