Marathon Heart
April 15, 2007 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
The further you run, the healthier it must be, right? Not necessarily. Last year, two men died during the Los Angeles Marathon and four others died in other marathons around the country.
Studies have shown that the troponin protein is elevated in runners immediately after finishing a marathon indicating heart muscle cell damage. Those who trained less than 35 miles a week seemed to produce more troponin than those who ran more than 45 miles a week. Runners with higher levels of troponin exhibit no symptoms and one day following a marathon, troponin levels returned to normal.
Doctors suggest that marathon runners undergo stress tests before intensive training. Those with known cardiac risk factors like age, smoking (?!), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease should be even more vigilant.
The Boston Marathon is on Monday. Good luck to Jacob Seilheimer who started at 438 pounds and has been training and losing weight in preparation for the big race. His latest training video is below the fold.
Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2007
HT: Deadspin
