Run to Win

Bob Fine of Delray Beach, Florida was a long time USATF volunteer and a member of the Masters Track & Field Hall of Fame. He was killed Wednesday morning in Reno, Nevada while out for a jog before the 2008 USATF Annual Convention. He was 77 years old.

“Bob’s contribution to USA Track & Field has been enormous, and we are all stunned by this terrible tragedy,” said USATF President Bill Roe. “To get news like this is always devastating, and to have it happen here at our Annual Meeting adds to the shock of what has occurred. Our deepest sympathies to go his family, and to the many, many people who benefited from his tireless work.”

This is a good opportunity to remind yourself what can happen when you aren’t paying attention. Bob was running before dawn on a dark, unfamiliar street when he tried crossing the road near a dangerous curve. He was wearing dark clothes with a hood covering most of his face so there was no chance of light reflecting off of his skin.

I recommend against playing chicken with a car. Just last night I had to remind somebody that no matter who wins when a pedestrian or cyclist is involved, the vehicle that weighs 2000 pounds more than you is going to win.

If you are going to run in the dark or if you are going to jaywalk, use a little sense and keep yourself safe.

• Use sidewalks & crosswalks whenever possible.
• Wear bright and reflective clothing.
• Look both ways before crossing the street.
• Wear a headlamp or carry a flashlight.
• Always assume that the car doesn’t see you, even when you have the right of way.

I’ve written a few newsletters on the topic that you may want to read. One of them deals with the steps that I take to avoid getting hit by a car again, and the other details a more complete list for running in the dark.

My thoughts go out to Bob’s wife and four children, to the woman who accidentally killed him, and to the USATF community at large.

(More info: Master’s Track)

(Photo Credit: Trail Monster)

Local runner and adventurer Chris Douglas was on his way to the start of a 2500 mile walk from Colorado to Maine this weekend when his car was struck in a head-on collision, killing him at the scene. His girlfriend’s car was hit when another vehicle crossed the center line. The driver of the other car is under arrest on various charges including operating under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, and possession of controlled substances.

I did not know Chris very well, but he ran with the Trail Monsters, a group that I have been training with for about a year now. He leaves behind many friends and loved ones, and I will let them do a better job of telling their stories about him. Anybody that is participating in the Bradbury Scuffle on June 15^th is welcomed to take a trip up Bradbury Mountain to remember Chris by after the race.

• Chris’ Travel Journal
• Jamie Anderson
• Ian Parlin
• News Summaries:
  1. Sun Journal
  2. Coloradoen
  3. Rocky Mountain News

Ryan Shay’s autopsy has been completed, and while it does not include an public toxicology report, his father was told that there was no evidence of any drug use. There was evidence of scarring in his heart that could not be attributed to anything specific and could have been caused by anything from childhood pneumonia to previous heart attacks. The official cause of death was has been linked to an irregular heart beat due to an enlarged heart.

Runner’s world has taken a look at various studies of cardiac deaths, comparing the instances of sudden cardiac death in young people to coronary artery death in people in their 40s or older. In the instances of young people, the most common causes of sudden cardiac death are due to genetic abnormalities that are present since birth and severe blows to the chest. Despite young athletes with some sort of heart abnormality being in more danger of dying during exercise, their overall risk of mortality is less if they engage in regular exercise.

As marathoning cardiology expert Paul Thompson, MD, once wryly put it: “If your only goal is to survive the next sixty minutes of your life, then your best strategy is to go to bed… alone. However, if you want to lower your lifetime risk of heart disease, then your best strategy is to fill the next hour with sixty minutes of moderate exercise.”

Ryan died during the men’s Olympic Marathon Trials this past November.

(More information: Runner’s World)

Olympic Silver Medalist Maryvonne Dupureur of France passed away yesterday at the age of 70. She ran 2:01.9 in the 800 meter at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, losing the race by 0.8 seconds in a world record setting performance by Ann Packer of Britain. She also competed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, where she was 8^th in the 800m.

(Source: IAAF – Photo Credit: ASPTT)

Last Tuesday, former Olympian Lucas Sang was murdered after violence erupted in Kenya following the political elections. Hundred of people have been killed as the violence continues.

Luke Kibet was seriously injured and is currently recovering from a head wound and brain shock. Most reports have him reported as having been hit in the head by a rock, but others state that he survived a machete attack. This past August, Luke Kibet won the men’s marathon at the world championships in Osaka.

He has had to pull out of a half marathon next weekend and is forbidden to train for the next two weeks by his doctor. I hope that he can recover in time for the London Marathon in April, and is able to get back into racing form before the Summer Olympics.

Update: The New York Times lists the known whereabouts and trials of quite a few of Kenya’s top runners and what they are doing in an attempt to stay in shape when it is too dangerous to go outside.

(Sources: Runner’s World – Runner’s Web – AIPS)

Lucas Sang competed in the 1600 meter relay in the 1988 Olympics as the second leg for the 8^th place Kenya team. He ran the fastest leg of his team, 45.08 seconds, and also made it to the quarter finals in the open 400 meter race. He became a farmer after his retirement from sports, but remained involved with other athletes and was the treasurer of the National Association of Kenyan Olympiads.
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After hearing about Ryan Shay dying during the Olypmic Marathon Trials, or Chad Schieber dying during the Chicago Marathon, or any other runner that dies during a race or training, you may think that running is too dangerous an activity to be worth taking up. Ignoring the fact that training for and running a marathon makes you much healthier than you otherwise would be, if you can put such a strain on your heart that you die it can’t be worth it, right?

Wrong. Canadian researchers have determined that the act of having a marathon actually halves the number of deaths that would occur, because for every marathon death there is at least 2 motor vehicle deaths that are (statistically) averted. Nor are those deaths occurring on alternate routes.

The study examined 3,292,268 runners on 750 race days and 14 million hours of running and compared the number of deaths to the national data on traffic fatalities, estimating how many were expected to occur in the area on race day and checking the number that did occur.

Fewer than 1 in 100,000 people died while running a marathon, Dr. [Donald A.] Redelmeier and his colleagues reported. The chance that a middle-aged man — the typical marathon fatality — would die while running a marathon was about the same as the chance a middle-aged man would suddenly die anyway.

Dr. Thompson, the Hartford cardiologist, said there was another way of making the comparison. He noted that middle-aged men who run marathons are not typical of men their age. He said their risk of dying while running a marathon, while low, was nonetheless about seven times their risk of dying at other times.

This is an interesting study, because it provides a good reason for having marathons without talking about the individual benefits to the runners themselves. Running marathons actually provides a safety measure for the drivers that would normally be on the course.

So the next time that somebody tells you how dangerous it is for you to be running a marathon, you can tell them that you are running it to keep them safe for the day.

(Source: New York Times)

Rhode Island marathoner Bobby Doyle died this weekend after having chest pains as he was on his way to the hospital. He was one of the best marathoners to ever come out of the Ocean State, having finished in the top 10 at the Boston Marathon 10 times and having run in the Olympic Marathon Trials twice. His personal best was a 2:14:04 in 1979.

Doyle actually won the Ocean State Marathon seven times, beginning with the inaugural race in 1976 and finishing in 1990 at the age of 42 when NER’s headline read: Doyle in 7th Heaven at Newport Marathon. By winning the Delta Dental of Rhode Island Marathon for the seventh time, Bobby Doyle, 42, of Pawtucket, joined Grete Waitz (New York, nine times) and Clarence DeMar (Boston, seven times) in dominance of a single marathon.

Bobby Doyle operated Doyle’s Sporting Goods store in Pawtucket for 20 years before turning to coaching at the high school level.

(Source: New England Runner)