who died during the Ottawa marathon and a close-call for a Halifax man who was revived after he collapsed at the finish line of a half-marathon, concerns have been raised about the safety of long-distance running.
Jack Goodman, a professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto who has studied deaths among marathoners, said that for most people, training and completing a marathon is safe.
However, for those with underlying health problems, Goodman said marathons can increase their risk of death.
鈥淢arathons don鈥檛 kill, but they can be a trigger,鈥� he told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Wednesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the disease that鈥檚 underlying that ultimately leads to these tragic events.鈥�
Goodman said anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic fatigue, and a history of cardiac events should go see a doctor before they start training for a marathon.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not necessary to undergo complicated tests if you鈥檙e healthy, have no risk factors, you鈥檝e got no serious family history,鈥� he said.
The kinesiology and physical education professor said it鈥檚 also a good idea for anyone over the age of 40 to get a medical checkup as a precaution before taking up long-distance running.
Goodman also said that people who have never done any running or very much physical exercise should avoid running a marathon right away and instead concentrate on improving their fitness in a gradual way.
鈥淕ive yourself a lot of time,鈥� he said. 鈥淕ive yourself a year. Get a great base of fitness and go slow, go steady, not too much, too quickly.鈥�
On the other hand, those who are accustomed to physical activity and want to migrate to running longer distances should be safe to do so, Goodman said.
鈥淥n balance, people who run marathons are very healthy,鈥� he said.
