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Lead Stories: Friday, December 5, 2008

Gebrselassie Could Make Beijing U-turn

Posted March 13th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics

Ethiopian distance running star Haile Gebrselassie says he may compete over the marathon at the 29th Beijing Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes changes to the event’s venue and starting time.

On Monday, the world marathon record holder and former double Olympic 10000m champion announced that he will not take part in this year’s Olympic marathon citing Beijing’s pollution and fearing the aggravation of his own exercise-induced asthma.

But speaking on Wednesday, the 34-year old said, “I do not want to rule anything out at this point. This decision is not about Haile. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.”
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Haile Gebrselassie Out of Olympic Marathon

Posted March 11th, 2008 at 2:15 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The news of Haile Gebrselassie withdrawing from the Olympic Marathon in Beijing broke while your editor was flying home from Spain. He told Reuters he’s very concerned about the air quality there, especially because he has exercised-induced asthma.

The New York Times picked up the story here (The link has been shortened): http://tinyurl.com/2papl4

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Chepkemei Sanctioned for Doping Violation

Posted February 26th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports

Four-time IAAF World Half-Marathon medalist Susan Chepkemei has been sanctioned for a doping violation, the IAAF reported yesterday. In an out-of-competition test in Kenya last September, Chepkemei’s sample returned a positive result for Salbutamol, a medication commonly prescribed for breathing problems, usually asthma.

Indeed, according to Valentijn Trouw of Global Sports Communications, the Dutch management firm which represents Chepkemei, the medication was given to their athlete by a doctor in a Nairobi hospital where Chepkemei had presented herself for treatment.

“Beginning of September Susan Chepkemei had a severe pneumonia,” Trouw said in a written statement. “After investigation in the hospital in Nairobi, she was told by the doctor to take a medicine (which contained the substance Salbutamol). Susan was convinced the doctor who gave her the prescription knew she was an international top athlete and she was given a medicine that didn’t contain any substance which is prohibited according to the doping list. She took the medicine that evening.”
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Winter Survival Guide: Dressing for Cold-Weather Exercise

Posted November 24th, 2007 at 1:35 PM by Julie R. Keen

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Apparel, Miscellaneous, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The temperature is finally dropping, Daylight Saving Time has ended, and Christmas decorations are filling the local drug and retail stores. Short of joining a gym and running on the treadmill like a gerbil trapped in a cage, what is an avid exerciser to do?

If you like to snowshoe, cross-country ski, or just keep running in the cold weather, you should follow these steps to ensure safe outside exercise as the temperature plunges.

1) Drink Extra Fluids - Many different companies now make wearable hydration packs [i.e. - Camelbak, Fuelbelt, etc] that resemble small backpacks and contain a fluid reservoir as well as belts that have several small, bottles scattered around the exterior. This allows you to keep your hands free (to hold ski poles, if that’s what you do) and you can stay hydrated while exercising. They also give you a place to stash those extra clothes when you get warm.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Exercise-induced asthma especially prevalent among athletes

Posted September 12th, 2007 at 7:00 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

Proper breathing is essential for every athlete. As anyone involved in athletics knows, without the correct breathing technique, you are greatly compromising your ability to perform up to your potential.

Unfortunately, thanks to a condition called asthma, not every person has control over their ability to breathe. Asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the breathing passages of the lungs. And while this condition is known to afflict many individuals, it is a specific form of asthma- referred to as “exercise-induced”- that researchers have noticed occurring in a large proportion of athletes.

read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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“Greyjing” in Beijing a Health Risk for Olympic Athletes?

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 7:41 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports

According to Chinese media, “Chinese city traffic police have an average life expectancy of just 43 years because of the dire working conditions and pollution.” Reports like this have worried the Australian Olympic delegation so much that they have announced they will wait until the last minute next summer to arrive in Beijing.

Australian IOC member John Coates said he’d be “telling his athletes to stay away from Beijing until four or five days before their events.” The pollution is so bad in the city that some people have begun calling it “Greyjing.” Add to that the worries of tainted food in the way of pork tainted with growth hormones (which could actually cause positives in athletes’ dope tests) and Beijing could wind up being the riskiest and most controversial Olympics in history.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: SummerOlympian.com

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This New Year’s Resolution:
A Healthy Heart

Posted January 1st, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise, Weight Loss

Eat too much this holiday season? You’re most likely not alone. However, eating too much on a daily basis takes a toll on your body, especially your heart. Make this New Year’s resolution a healthy one for you and your family.

You can start by checking out some different online opportunities, including the Discovery Health Channel’s National Body Challenge, and the American Heart Association’s Choose to Move program.

Programs such as these have been established due to chronic public health problems in the United States associated with poor diet and lack of physical activity. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for all people in the United States, currently affecting nearly 12 million people.
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Why do so many athletes use asthma inhalers?

Posted November 26th, 2006 at 4:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Drugs called beta-2 agonists, such as salbutamol, salmeterol and terbutaline, open the closed lungs of asthmatics and help them to breathe. They also increase the amount of fat in the bloodstream to increase energy sources of exercising muscles, help to preserve the muscles’ store of sugar, and help muscles to contract with more force. The common inhaled asthma medication called albuterol has been shown to improve athletic performance.

These asthma medications are potent stimulants, so they could cause irregular heart beats. It is illegal for Olympic competitors to take albuterol pills. However, asthmatics need their medications, so the Olympic medical committee allows asthmatics to take these same medications by inhaler, provided that a doctor informs the Olympic committee beforehand that the athlete is an asthmatic and is taking this medication. Needless to say, there are unprecedented numbers of asthmatics registered with the Olympic committee and other authorities in sports that monitor drug use. Read the rest of this entry »

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What causes exercise-induced asthma? Can I compete in sports?

Posted November 23rd, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

People with asthma can usually compete in sports at a very high level when they know how to do it. All people who cough and wheeze when they exercise have asthma at other times also. Exercise-induced asthma means that you start to cough and wheeze 7 to 15 minutes after you start to exercise or immediately after you finish exercising. It’s not caused by exercise, it’s caused by breathing dry cold air. That’s why running is far more likely to cause an asthma attack than swimming. Read the rest of this entry »

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