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

[Thestealth]

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.

The link between the vaccines and people dropping dead or a website?

 

[Temujin]

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.

Deaths are rare in comrades, dealing with some of the healthiest and fittest folks in the country. For 2 to die so far this year with some still in icu and on ventilators is a bit of a wtf

 

[Matt91]

Deaths are rare in comrades, dealing with some of the healthiest and fittest folks in the country. For 2 to die so far this year with some still in icu and on ventilators is a bit of a wtf

Yeah no doubt, but this is also a group of people who push their bodies to extremes and sometimes beyond. So it stands to reason that sometimes things break.

 

[Thestealth]

A few of the Comrades veterans (10+ races) I chat to, mentioned that the race was particularly difficult for them, despite the hectic training and preparations. They attribute it to the break (2yrs?) since the last race. Apparently your body handles the annual punishment of the race better. It makes sense to me, being a non-athlete in all respects.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Deaths are rare in comrades, dealing with some of the healthiest and fittest folks in the country. For 2 to die so far this year with some still in icu and on ventilators is a bit of a wtf

Deaths are rare, but hospitalisations and such after the race are oddly enough not... there are always 20 or 30 who end up in hospital after the race from what I know.

 

[Agent_Smith]

Yeah look they are clearly a bunch of crazies

/avoids looking at @RunningFromFat and @Agent_Smith

I ran past the scene of the guy at Drummond. He was flat on his back with medics attempting CPR but it wasn't looking good. RIP to him and condolences to his family.

It isn't for sissies, that's for sure. There was another guy at the top of Cowies Hill who looked like he was having a complete nervous or mental breakdown. Lying on the ground, screaming and thrashing his arms and legs at anyone who tried to come near him. It was very disconcerting to see.

 

[Pudding McTwinkle]

RIP.

 

[Unhappy438]

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.

100%, what beginner runners don't understand is the body is capable of a lot more than what their mind tells them. Running is just as mental as it is physical.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

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.

What utter nonsense.

 

[ToxicBunny]

100%, what beginner runners don't understand is the body is capable of a lot more than what their mind tells them. Running is just as mental as it is physical.

Very much so, but I would say many people push the physical and mental parts way way too far and actually forget to listen to their bodies...

 

[Unhappy438]

Very much so, but I would say many people push the physical and mental parts way way too far and actually forget to listen to their bodies...

Yeah but some of these things can catch you very easily and there isnt always much warning for heat stroke or heart attack.

 

[The_MAC]

From some past deaths, I remember hearing people running after recently recovering from Flu, where the heart is severely weakened.

People commit to the race, and can't bear not running, even if sick

I would guess a weak heart for whatever reason would be the cause.

RIP

 

[r00igev@@r]

My dad always talked up how he ran the Comrades in canvas tennis shoes and cash in his pocket to pay for cool drinks along the way. He finished in 69th position.

The story convinced my brother to run the Comrades 10 times. Both their ashes were spread on Polly Shorts and they have plaques on the memorial wall. My brother was the fittest guy I knew having also done a dozen Ironmans. He died of a heart attack on a bicycle in the Eucalyptus forests of Dwellingup Australia.

RIP, This was his favourite and appropriate for these two runners as well:

 

[kidcolt]

The link between the vaccines and people dropping dead or a website?

The is no confirmed link between the two (to my knowledge). But there are requests for governments to fund a broad-based study of the abnormal high death rates this year.

Since many of the elderly that would have naturally died this year had died in the previous 2 years. It would be expected that the global death rate would be lower than the per-pandemic average. This does not seem to be the case.

But you may this paper interesting; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35993236/
Additional there is a interesting presentation from a cardiologist about that heart tissue scarring being permanent (Unfortunately can not find the link now)

 

[The_MAC]

Yeah but some of these things can catch you very easily and there isnt always much warning for heat stroke or heart attack.

Good friend of mine recently had a heart scare during a race, got taken away in an ambulance. No warning. Seems some or other hereditary heart issue

 

[Pak Fa Fui]

My dad always talked up how he ran the Comrades in canvas tennis shoes and cash in his pocket to pay for cool drinks along the way. He finished in 69th position.

The story convinced my brother to run the Comrades 10 times. Both their ashes were spread on Polly Shorts and they have plagues on the memorial wall. My brother was the fittest guy I knew having also done a dozen Ironmans. He died of a heart attack on a bicycle in the Eucalyptus forests of Dwellingup Australia.

RIP, This was his favourite and appropriate for these two runners as well:

Plaques, plaques man
Eish

 

[Pak Fa Fui]

People said the race was rushed, 3 months to train, serious runners had to train harder and even take leave from work.
Quite a few runners collapsed, a few at the end in the stadium run, was funny, entertaining and sad to watch the guys collapse 5m from the finish line

 

[r00igev@@r]

Plaques, plaques man
Eish

He like me wouldn't give a **** what I call it.

 

[Kola-CT]

Yeah but some of these things can catch you very easily and there isnt always much warning for heat stroke or heart attack.

This.

Being fit does not mean there are no underlying issues lurking.

 

[Anthro]

Deaths are rare in comrades, dealing with some of the healthiest and fittest folks in the country. For 2 to die so far this year with some still in icu and on ventilators is a bit of a wtf

3rd death still unreported on.
9 deaths from 1921 to 2021 - now 3 in a year

Where have we seen athletes drop dead like this recently and what did they have in common..