What happened?

A woman in her 20s collapsed about 500 meters before the finish line of a half marathon in Seoul and died, according to Yonhap News. She had collapsed at the 20.6-kilometer mark, received emergency treatment, and was taken to a hospital, where she died.

What does the U.S. study show?

A research team from Emory University School of Medicine analyzed 29,311,597 finishing records from U.S. marathons and half marathons held between 2010 and 2023. It was published in JAMA in March of last year.

| Measure | Result | |---|---| | Cardiac arrests during races | 176 (0.60 per 100,000 records) | | Deaths | 59 died, 117 survived | | Death rate across all records | 0.20 per 100,000 | | Men vs. women | 1.12 vs. 0.19 per 100,000 | | Full vs. half marathon | 1.04 vs. 0.47 per 100,000 |

Of the 67 cases where the cause was identified, 27 (40%) involved coronary artery disease.

Why is exercise risky for some people?

The American Heart Association said in a 2020 statement in the journal Circulation that the health benefits of high-intensity endurance exercise far outweigh the risks. However, people who are undertrained or have undetected heart disease face higher risks of cardiac arrest, heart attack, and atrial fibrillation during intense exercise. The association said survival chances drop by about 7% for every minute treatment is delayed.

Are middle-aged runners at special risk?

For adults aged 40 to 60, excessive running can trigger exercise-induced hypertension, which can lead to sudden cardiac death. Concern arises when systolic blood pressure exceeds 210 mmHg in men or 190 mmHg in women.

What do heart specialists recommend?

Park Kyung-min, a cardiologist at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, said walking or moderate running lowers arrhythmia rates in the general population. However, one study found endurance athletes have five times the atrial fibrillation risk of ordinary people. Park recommended checking exercise blood pressure at least once a year and considering a cardiac CT scan to check for coronary artery calcification if needed.

For international fans

The American Heart Association advises stopping exercise immediately if abnormal symptoms appear. Anyone planning to run a marathon, including visitors joining Seoul races, should get a heart checkup first if they have any existing conditions.