Twenty-one runners perished while facing hail, freezing rain, and sub-zero temperatures on a 100 kilometer ultramarathon course in China earlier this week. Ultra runners often train in every type of condition. Early reports indicate the tragedy was precipitated by unanticipated extreme weather and un-prepared race organizers.
“But Mrs. Auntie SciBabe,” I pretend I hear you ask, “don’t people die running marathons all the time?”
Today’s Moment of Science… why a marathon probably won’t kill you.
About 2,600 years ago, Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens, Greece to announce that the Athenians had kicked the shit out of the Persians in battle. But he didn’t get to stick around for the inevitable wanton orgies or democracy or whatever they were up to for celebrations. He was like “we won motherfuc-” and collapsed, dead in his sandals.
To commemorate that event in modern times, when so many of us feel those first tendrils of our own mortality creeping up, we check that 26.2 mile jaunt off our bucket list. It feels a little like spitting in the face of death when you cross the finish line. Fuck you Pheidippides, I survived and got the space blanket to prove it.
But that wasn’t the only bit of running that sealed Pheidippides’ fate. He was a hemerodrome, a professional courier who ran messages for people all day.
When I say he “ran messages,” I mean he physically ran them across vast distances you’d think would require a horse. Interestingly enough, the first modern hundred mile ultra marathon, Western States, started out as a horse race. The TL;DR version of events is that one year, a guy started a trend by entering without his horse.
But humans tackling ultra long distance running is a tale as old humans and running.
And Pheidippides had a busy week before his last run to Athens.
Someone had to go ask King Leonidas if he and the Spartans could bring their spears and their best war panties to Athens to help fight the Persians. That someone was Pheidippides. He ran about 150 miles in two days, only to be told “uh, we’re kinda in the middle of something?” They were having a religious festival, and they were super into fighting but they didn’t stop festivals for shit. This is Sparta.
Pheidippides ran another 150 miles back to Athens and was like “King Leonidas has great abs and will be joining us… eventually.” Since the Persians weren’t going to wait for that bullshit, Pheidippides joined the rest of the Athenians and marched to meet them for battle in Marathon. Outnumbered, the Athenians still emerged victorious.
Only then did Pheidippides take that notorious run from Marathon to Athens.
I’m not saying marathons are for everyone but his 350 miles of running in a few days almost certainly isn’t for most of us.
Cardiovascular exercise is great for your heart and lungs in general, but there is evidence of potential for some types of heart damage from successive marathons. A small percent of people may be prone to cardiac scarring and some other cardiac injuries. Howthefuckever, long term studies show overall cardiac health benefits from running.
As for the risk of death? Data from a 2019 review study showed that out of every hundred thousand people who ran a marathon, there were 0.67 fatalities. Or about one in every 150,000.
In most cases, a major contributor to fatality was underlying cardiac disease. Before entering into any exercise program you should consult with your doctor, and a marathon is no exception. Most fatalities in marathons occur in the last 10k of the race, so if you want to prove to yourself that you can get into great running shape but you’re still freaked out by the whole “maybe dying on a run” thing, I promise you that half marathons are no picnic either.
This has been your daily Moment of Science, just saying you already know that the same people who told me that covid is no big deal are the same people who assure me that marathons can kill me.
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