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Which is why it's always important to consult a physician.
A regular physician is not going to send an otherwise healthy patient to a cardiologist for a stress test, ultrasound, echo, etc just because they are running a marathon. You have pro athletes die from sudden cardiac events and they are the most fine-tuned athletes in the world. Unfortunately it's just the way it is.
True, they can't catch everything, but there are things they can catch in bloodwork and even just by listening with a stethoscope that are otherwise asymptomatic. It's better than not getting checked out at all.
I think the key here is to just regularly monitor your health (just like the training, it should be part of your ongoing 'program'). You don't need a Dr. to clear you to race, but if you do annual physicals, and discuss your lifestyle with your Dr. they can look for signs of trouble. They won't catch them all, I agree "it's just the way it is".
As another said, with proper training for any endurance event, it should be just like another training day. It's not the day to double your longest distance or half your best time. The excitement and encouragement from all those around you will likely help bring out your best performance.
I feel so horribly for the family and friends of the two. Nobody can prepare for that kind of news.
This is the part that disturbs me for them. I'm sure their families and friends were just thinking it was another day. My heart is broken for them.
I knew one of the men who died, and just saw him at a birthday party a little more than a week ago. I remember him talking about his upcoming birthday and future plans for the year. It really is hard to believe that I won't see him again. My heart aches for his family, especially his children.
I knew one of the men who died, and just saw him at a birthday party a little more than a week ago. I remember him talking about his upcoming birthday and future plans for the year. It really is hard to believe that I won't see him again. My heart aches for his family, especially his children.
I'm so sorry.
I read about him. Very sad.
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"I think it would be a good idea to see a physician before you consider participation in strenuous endurance events," said Dr. Pavlo Netrebko, a cardiologist with WakeMed Physician Practices. "The majority of those congenital conditions could be picked up at a routine screening at fairly low cost."
"I think it would be a good idea to see a physician before you consider participation in strenuous endurance events,"said Dr. Pavlo Netrebko, a cardiologist with WakeMed Physician Practices. "The majority of those congenital conditions could be picked up at a routine screening at fairly low cost."
I find this hard to believe: "...could be picked up at routine screening". Unless he's talking about a different tier of heart screening for endurance athletes.
I find this hard to believe: "...could be picked up at routine screening". Unless he's talking about a different tier of heart screening for endurance athletes.
Routine screening from a cardiologist, not a GP.
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I know we are just "picking nits" now, but there is still a lot to be be interpreted from that WRAL Statement.
First, and foremost, they will always err on the side of CYA when making a blanket statement.
But "consult with a physician" in my book means exactly that. Talk to your GP, have regular physicals, let them know your lifestyle, including activity level.
In my opinion, this covers what the WRAL quotes says. It does not mean that every time you do an endurance event (which is also very subjective), you need a special screening.
I've got one friend who is an endurance runner, and a Marathon is something she rolls out of bed and can do with a severe hangover. She trains for 100-mile runs (they take 30-something hours for her to complete), so the Marathon is nothing for her.
As recently as a year and a half ago, I completed a race series of three 6-hour bike races (on a singlespeed, on singletrack). I'm just a short, slow fat-guy, but that's nearly 2x the amount of time of your average competitive marathoner.
Rather long-winded, I apologize, but the point is that it's all relative, and these blanket statements are just guidelines that everyone should pay attention to, but they don't really apply to any one specific person.
Again: My focus is on the loss of a human, and the pain their friends and family must be experiencing. Any activity comes with a risk, some more than other. We have to accept the risks, but it's still never easy when they become 'real'.
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