Runner who died had heart condition, officials say

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Chicago Tribune

An autopsy found the Michigan police officer who collapsed during the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon died from a heart condition not related to the heat, a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said today.

Chad Schieber, 35, of Midland, died of mitral valve prolapse, a condition where the valve between the chambers doesn't close properly. Schieber collapsed around the 19-mile mark.

Also, marathon officials asserted Monday that they never ran out of water during the race, but said volunteers did have trouble refilling cups fast enough for runners.

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Many runners reported that they found no water on the course and that they had to buy their own or rely on people on the sideline to supply them.

Carey Pinkowski, executive director of the marathon, said runners often took five to seven glasses of water and poured them over themselves to cool down, quickly depleting the supplies.


Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-marathon_web.1oct09,0,3478099.story

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If you read posts from runners in the race there are numerous stories of no water/gator ade.

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/10/stop-in-the-nam.html#comments

[kimmerspixelated]

1. Remember the story of Nike?

He ran 26 miles to deliver a message, and then died on the spot. The truth is, marathon running is NOT the healthy thing to do! Dr. Al Sears debunks the idea the mainstream fitness experts still plug( for more profits), that more intense exercise the better. When in truth, short little bursts in- between rests is what builds strength and slims faster than any other method, because it is based on primitive lifestyles.

Dr Al Sears Pace Program: www.alsearsmd.com


No, I'm not selling it. Just like to get the truth out.

[devilgrrl]

2. I think jogging is a crock of shit and bad for your legs.

Bicycles on the other hand rule!!!!

[kimmerspixelated]

3. Just don't overdo it, ever.

[kestrel91316]

5. Running never worked for me. Bad knees, and just plain awkward.

I am a WALKER. And what really does the most good is LONG brisk walks. Miles and miles.

[Jersey Ginny]

25. Running is a crock of shit? Cmon

Why insult others who also exercise, like you do on your bike. I've run for 6 years. No injuries. I like biking too.

[Gormy Cuss]

26. Running is a crock in that it isn't the best exercise for many.

For those who can do it without injury, it's great. For others walking, swimming, or biking are better choices.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. I remember that Nike was the goddess of victory.

And not the guy who ran home after the battle of Marathon.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Jim Fixx wrote books on running & fitness, then died of a heart attack after a jog

This was a big story from the 1980's..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx

[Jack from Charlotte]

22. Fixx had heart disease. Knew it and concealed it....

according to that heart doc who invented "aerobics" down in Texas. He tried to get Fixx to take stress tests. Said Fixx always begged off. After he died the autopsy showed he had almost complete blockages that would have caused pain. So Fixx knew he had a problem.... and ignored symtoms.

[mile18blister]

7. The first marathon runner was Phidippides, not Nike.

I ran marathons to prove I could do something most people can't. Any run over 20 miles really trashes your body.

[dmallind]

8. Yes - and people forget one thing

He ran both ways - so really a marathon should be 52+miles.

Then again since he dropped dead - maybe not.

If this guy had been fat and dropped dead in the heat it would have been crowed about endlessly by the health nuts and no possible alternative theory other than obesity would ever be allowed to be raised. Of course because he was a fit guy there has to be something else other than the idiotic self-torture in the name of a narcissistic "in shape" fetish to blame.

[Jimbo S]

12. Geez, why all the hate?

I ran my 12th marathon yesterday up the road from Chicago in Milwaukee.

Be aware there are those of us who look forward to the challenge it brings us, plus those of us who are competitve athletes.

There's nothing wrong with a healthy lifestyle, and I don't consider myself an idiot.

[Teaser]

15. Jealousy

They can't do it. They're mad you can.

Simple as that.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. Nike was a goddess.

Nike (mythology)

The original marathoner was a Greek soldier.

Marathon history

The name marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon.<1> It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, but moments after proclaiming his message to the city he collapsed dead from exhaustion.<2> The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD who quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.<3> Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD) also gives the story but names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).<4>

The Greek historian Herodotus, the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars, mentions Pheidippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help.<5> In some Herodotus manuscripts the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens, and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having already fought and won the gruelling battle, and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from the battle to Athens, arriving the same day.

Edited: others have already beat me to it.

[Teaser]

13. I'll keep running Marathons, thanks.

and it was Pheidipides, not Nike. Nike is the goddess of victory.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Medical hypothesis, naturally, quite naturally it is from OOC.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

1: Med Hypotheses. 2005;64(2):279-83.Click here to read Links
A novel therapeutic strategy for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome based on nutritional supplements.
Mantle D, Wilkins RM, Preedy V.

Pharma Nord (UK), Telford Court, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 2DB, UK. [email protected]

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare disorder, comprising a group of related inherited disorders of connective tissue, resulting from underlying abnormalities in the synthesis and metabolism of collagen. This proposal is specifically concerned with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome classic type (formerly Types I-III), which is characterized by joint hypermobility and susceptibility to injury/arthritis, skin and vascular problems (including easy bruising, bleeding, varicose veins and poor tissue healing), cardiac mitral valve prolapse, musculo-skeletal problems (myopathy, myalgia, spinal scoliosis, osteoporosis), and susceptibility to periodontitis.

No treatment is currently available for this disorder. The novel aspect of this proposal is based on: (i) increasing scientific evidence that nutrition may be a major factor in the pathogenesis of many disorders once thought to result from defective genes alone; (ii) the recognition that many of the symptoms associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome are also characteristic of nutritional deficiencies;

(iii) the synergistic action within the body of appropriate combinations of nutritional supplements in promoting normal tissue function. We therefore hypothesize that the symptoms associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome may be successfully alleviated using a specific (and potentially synergistic) combination of nutritional supplements, comprising calcium, carnitine, coenzyme Q(10), glucosamine, magnesium, methyl sulphonyl methane, pycnogenol, silica, vitamin C, and vitamin K, at dosages which have previously been demonstrated to be effective against the above symptoms in other disorders.

PMID: 15607555

[girl gone mad]

21. I noticed that he appeared to be very tall..

and wondered if it was something ED or Marfan's syndrome. I think very tall people need to be more careful in general when they participate in such strenuous activity. The heart has to work even harder to pump blood. I had a friend who died young playing sports. She was 6'3" and also had an underlying heart condition which had never been diagnosed.

[Peregrine Took]

10. A little running every day is good for you. I do 4 miles. My brother had mvp

(mitral valve prolapse) and didn't know about it until he was in his 60's and had had many physicals over the years as they were mandated by his company for all execs over a certain level.

[MannyGoldstein]

14. Mitral Valve Prolapse Can Cause Sudden Death?

I learn something new every day.

[bmbmd]

16. Sure-

that's what got Lori Klausitis. Member?

[Critters2]

19. Doesn't usually.

But add a 26-mile run and heat index of 95, and, yes, MVP can kill you.

[SKKY]

17. I've run several half-marathons and did my first "Ultra" last May...

...it's all how you train the body. If you don't run and train for the distance you're preparing
for, of course you can hurt yourself. When I was training for the 101KM, I did 4 runs of about
33 miles each, building up to each one over the course of 2 weeks. And although I was a bit sore, I felt
good enough the following weekend to do a half-marathon, which by the way I did in a personal best
time. Training people. It's all about training. This cat who died from a heart defect, well, sadly
there was probably not much that could have been done about that.

[Jimbo S]

18. I agree

I ran the marathon in Milwaukee which was beingg held concurrently in the same conditions. Milwaukee caps at only 2,500 (Chicaho = 45,000) to keep everything manageable.

Plenty of water and Gatorade at all the aid stations - no reports of running out. Still, I noticed people slowing down at mile 8 and others walking as soon as 14. Too many people who didn't know how to adjust to the conditions and others who were just inexperienced.

I don't have the full scoop yet what really happened in Chicago, but my guess mismanagement (45000 is getting too big for itself) is to blame for maybe half the issues and athlete failure to adjust for the rest.

[RamboLiberal]

20. It doesn't come down to just training

Except for the elite IMHO. Most of these people had been training - it was the heat, humidity, loss of fluids that caused many to become ill or have to drop out. Most people are not going in to a marathon without having done weeks and weeks of training.

These conditions were just too brutal for the majority of the runners in the marathon. Even the elite runners were finishing with slower than their normal times.

[cobalt1999]

24. I run marathons down here in Florida

Those conditions are almost typical here, not extreme. Of course, I'm training in 90+ degree temps and 90+% humidity. You just can't go as fast and need to pay attention to your body.

[Jimbo S]

27. Yes, the conditions were brutal

Everyone including the elites were going to run slower with the heat. It's how the body works. With proper conditioning, experience and a sound game plan the was race was doable.
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Most people are not going in to a marathon without having done weeks and weeks of training.

Because people have been training weeks doesn't neccessarily make them "marathon ready". I'll explain my take on this. True most marathoners are experienced runners with many races under their belt and understand the training and strategy behind doing this type of event. However, the marathon event itself is becoming a "lifetime achievement" thing for some people, akin to climbing a mountain. I've been in this sport 25 years and we're noticing an increasing number of people who one day decide they want to be a runner and want to tackle the marathon without really understanding what they are getting into. They'll read some training tips on a website or a book, work out on their own or maybe a friend and proclaim themselves ready. In reality are some these people really "marathon ready"? Any race will have a number of newbies, but the Chicago Marathon attracts a large a numer of people I am describing. For people in the Chicago area, running thier marathon is akin to "the place to be seen" if you know what I mean. I think it was the right call to call off the race when they did before more harm was done. I've ran Chicago twice and have a good feel for the types of folks who participate in that event.

[Jack from Charlotte]

23. I was in Chicago last week and predicted 1-2 deaths from the marathon...

Sunday morning of the race. The heat was very high and I know those people up there don't train in high heat much so they doesn't appreciate it. Having run a few marathons down here in Charlotte, NC.... I'd have scratched for that one due to heat. Ideal conditions for me would be between 35 and 50 degrees and overcast. But I ran one here on a January 3rd that was in the mid 70's and was friggin' miserable.