Putting your 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training into perspective in light of recent racing deaths

It is a story that has become all too commonplace in the past few years: A runner collapses and dies while running a road race. But the most recent of such tragic tales is even worse: Three participants in the 2009 Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon, held October 18, collapsed while running or shortly after completing the event’s concurrent half-marathon and could not be revived.

At the time of this writing, autopsy results were not available and the causes of death were unknown. Usually, running-related fatalities are tied to heart conditions, but none of the three Detroit runners was known to have a history of heart trouble. These terrible events came on the heels of three other deaths in half-marathons: two at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half-Marathon earlier in October and another at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon in September.

Concerning, yes—but not common

All of these deaths made national news, but that’s because fatalities are virtually the only happenings within a half-marathon or marathon that inspire national headlines. This, in turn, creates a perception that running-related deaths are more common than they actually are. Indeed, while five runners did die in the three events mentioned above, nearly 50,000 others did not.

Nevertheless, in terms of pure numbers, running-related deaths are on the rise. This trend can be attributed to the increasing popularity of half-marathon and marathon participation and perhaps also to the fact that most of this growth is fueled by inexperienced runners registering for races. But it’s important to state that if less-experienced runners are more likely to die in races, it’s not because such runners are more susceptible to fatal exercise overexertion. In fact, there’s really no such thing as fatal exercise overexertion. When runners run too hard, they get tired; they do not die. The real reason less-experienced runners may be more prone to death in running events is that they have had fewer opportunities for the exertion of running to expose an existing dangerous health condition.
 
So, is running dangerous?

While it’s tempting for endurance athletes to immediately reject the notion that running is dangerous, we should not dismiss the thought without consideration. The notion that the small number of running event fatalities might be reduced even further by new screening procedures or other measures is not implausible. It would be a shame to stand in the way of such possible solutions with a too-vigorous defense of running’s safety.

There is also the question of how much need there is to defend the safety of running, and the further question of what good it would do. Nobody is proposing a ban on marathons and half-marathons or any strict new regulations on who should be allowed to participate in such events in reaction to the recent negative headlines. It’s likely that most who choose to see this dreadful spate of deaths as evidence that running is dangerous are non-runners who will cite any excuse not to exercise. I doubt there is a single runner anywhere who has stopped running because of the headlines.

Still, exactly how safe is running? The only way to answer this question is statistically. A 2008 study by Stanford University researchers reported that runners were 50 percent less likely to die over a 20-year period than non-runners of the same age. Running was found to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and neurological diseases. So while in rare cases the exertion of running may trigger a cardiac event in a person with an underlying heart condition, odds are that running will add years to the life of anyone who does it consistently throughout adulthood.

Know your risk

The responsibility for preventing the next terrible headline coming out of a half-marathon or marathon lies with us—individual runners. When you go for your next physical exam, request a complete cardiac health screening that includes an exercise stress test. Pass that and you’ve done your part to prevent the next tragedy at a running event.