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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Remembering Ryan Shay

Posted November 11th, 2007 at 9:45 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Today in East Jordan, Mich., a funeral was held for Ryan Shay, the 2003 USA marathon champion who collapsed and died at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon on Nov. 3, in New York City. He was 28 years-old and had been married only for four months to the former Alicia Craig, the Stanford University star who won the NCAA 10,000m title in 2003 and 2004.

The exact cause of Ryan’s death is still unknown, but it is clear that his heart abruptly stopped at about the 9 km mark of the Trials and, despite heroic and immediate medical intervention, he died before reaching Lennox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

I knew Ryan both through my role as a journalist and a race organizer. It would be a stretch to say were close, but we were certainly friendly and shared a passion for the sport. I recruited Ryan to run the 2004 ING New York City Marathon where he set his personal best time of 2:14:08, cracking the top-10 in ninth place. It didn’t surprise me that Ryan would run his best marathon in New York, despite the difficulty of the course. He was so strong and so tough, the kind of runner who was well suited to the hills of the Five Borough Classic. Ryan really had heart.
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Salazar remains hospitalized

Posted July 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Three-time ING New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar remains hospitalized in serious condition after collapsing on Saturday on the Nike campus in Beaverton, Ore., the Associated Press reported today.

He suffered from a “heart event” the report said.

For more information please check out this detailed story from: [USA Today]

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Why you should cool down

Posted February 20th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

At the end of a marathon, a runner sprints over the finish line, falls down and lies unconscious for a short time. What’s the most likely cause? The possibilities include dehydration, hyponatremia (excessive fluid intake with too little salt in the blood), heat stroke, drunkenness, a heart attack or stroke. Usually it is none of these.

Almost all athletes who collapse after finishing a marathon suffer from postural hypotension: lack of blood flow to the brain because blood drops from the brain to the legs.

Treatment is to lie the person on his back, raise his feet high over his head and wait for him to revive. If he or she is not alert within seconds, you should consider the more serious causes of unconsciousness and get medical help immediately.
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