Second death confirmation rocks 2022 Comrades: 'Two deaths are two too many'

[Temujin]

The Comrades Marathon has been rocked by another tragedy of a participant who died while participating in Sunday's down-run.

47-year-old Phakamile Ntshiza, who ran for the Pretoria-based Adventist Athletic Club, died suddenly while on the course to Durban.

He collapsed shortly before reaching Drummond - the half-way point of the race - and was declared dead when the Netcare medical team arrived on the scene.

This follows news earlier in the day that Mzamo Mthembu of the Hollywoodbets Athletics Club died in a Westville hospital on Sunday after collapsing just before Pinetown.

Second death confirmation rocks 2022 Comrades: 'Two deaths are two too many' | Sport

The Comrades Marathon has been rocked by another tragedy of a participant who died while taking part in Sunday's down-run.

www.news24.com

 

[R13...]

Exercise they said. It'll be good for your health they said.

 

[backstreetboy]

Jim Fixx - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[koffiejunkie]

Anyone know exactly what the cause of death was for either athelete? I know people get have issues with privacy, but when someone dies in a public endurance event, it seems pretty important that the public understand why. I know way too many couch potatoes who've decided that completing Comrades is a bucket list item even though they've never even done a 5k.

 

[R13...]

Anyone know exactly what the cause of death was for either athelete? I know people get have issues with privacy, but when someone dies in a public endurance event, it seems pretty important that the public understand why. I know way too many couch potatoes who've decided that completing Comrades is a bucket list item even though they've never even done a 5k.

Unlikely there's an official cause determined yet. But it is endurance so likely hearts gave out. I doubt a couch potato who hasn't even done 5k would be able to run themselves to death. Their will isn't strong enough if they lived as couch potatoes, running is hard for a beginner. They'd give up long before their hearts do.

 

[Matt91]

Is this the first time something like that has ever happened? Why the reaction?
From personal experience I know a guy at who ran the Comrades pushed himself too hard and landed up in hospital with kidney issues. I would have thought such a gruelling race came with inherent dangers athletes were well aware of.

 

[R13...]

Is this the first time something like that has ever happened? Why the reaction?
From personal experience I know a guy at who ran the Comrades pushed himself too hard and landed up in hospital with kidney issues. I would have thought such a gruelling race came with inherent dangers athletes were well aware of.

As with every ultramarathon, there are potentially lethal health risks involved in extreme physical events. In the history of the Comrades, there have been 8 deaths up to the 2022 event.[31] In a survey among a sample of 2005 participants, 25% reported cramps, 18% nausea, 8% vomiting, 13% dizziness, 3% diarrhoea, 23% pain, excluding the expected sore legs, and 14% reported fatigue of such a nature that they believed themselves to be incapable of continuing the race.[6] Among silver medalists there was a higher incidence of cramps (42.9%), nausea (21.4%) and diarrhoea (7.1%), though a lower incidence of pain and fatigue than the average runner.

Source: wiki

 

[ToxicBunny]

Unlikely there's an official cause determined yet. But it is endurance so likely hearts gave out. I doubt a couch potato who hasn't even done 5k would be able to run themselves to death. Their will isn't strong enough if they lived as couch potatoes, running is hard for a beginner. They'd give up long before their hearts do.

I doubt an official cause will be published tbh...

But yeah, either heart or kidney or something gave out because they pushed themselves too far and beyond all the warnings their body was giving them.

 

[koffiejunkie]

Exercise they said. It'll be good for your health they said.

It absolutely is. Ultra-endurance is a different kettle of fish though.

Unlikely there's an official cause determined yet. But it is endurance so likely hearts gave out. I doubt a couch potato who hasn't even done 5k would be able to run themselves to death. Their will isn't strong enough if they lived as couch potatoes, running is hard for a beginner. They'd give up long before their hearts do.

One I know nearly succumbed to heat stroke. Building the distance is one thing, learning the hydration/feeding game is a different matter. I learned this the hard way during my first marathon after ~15 years being a desk jockey.

That said, I agree with you, it takes a good deal of consistent training to know where your limits are to build the mental toughness to push through them.

 

[R13...]

I doubt an official cause will be published tbh...

But yeah, either heart or kidney or something gave out because they pushed themselves too far and beyond all the warnings their body was giving them.

Yeah kidneys are a good possibility. I remember reading that book by that loon Goggins who says he ran until he pissed blood but carried on. Stupid.

 

[ShaunSA]

Sad. But a race like this there's bound to be a death or two

 

[ToxicBunny]

Yeah kidneys are a good possibility. I remember reading that book by that loon Goggins who says he ran until he pissed blood but carried on. Stupid.

I have the utmost respect for someone who can actually run the comrades, but at the same time I think they're a bunch of fscking lunatics.

 

[Geoff.D]

All of you are ignoring the elephant in the room. Were both vaccinated against the Covid 19 and how many boosters did they have and when?

 

[Brawler]

All of you are ignoring the elephant in the room. Were both vaccinated against the Covid 19 and how many boosters did they have and when?

This. Particularly the mrna vaccines. There has been a huge jump in healthy people dropping dead in the last two years. I will try find the link.

 

[Kola-CT]

All of you are ignoring the elephant in the room. Were both vaccinated against the Covid 19 and how many boosters did they have and when?

Looks like the elephants were at Drummond and Pinetown respectively.

 

[R13...]

All of you are ignoring the elephant in the room. Were both vaccinated against the Covid 19 and how many boosters did they have and when?

Unvaxxed, but had taken some IVM prophylaxis to avoid humors in the crowds.

 

[ShaunSA]

I have the utmost respect for someone who can actually run the comrades, but at the same time I think they're a bunch of fscking lunatics.

Yeah look they are clearly a bunch of crazies

/avoids looking at @RunningFromFat and @Agent_Smith

 

[TelkomUseless]

Maybe they weren't fit enough?

 

[3WA]

They obviously didn’t drink enough the night before. People must learn to ALWAYS go into an endurance event with a hangover. No chance of death by over-exertion if you follow that one simple rule.

 

[ShaunSA]

Anyone know exactly what the cause of death was for either athelete? I know people get have issues with privacy, but when someone dies in a public endurance event, it seems pretty important that the public understand why. I know way too many couch potatoes who've decided that completing Comrades is a bucket list item even though they've never even done a 5k.

That's why you have qualifying races and cut off times etc