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**alert** · October 19, 2009, 10:18 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

Note the bold text - even one death at such an event is rare. Three is extremely unusual. We will have to see what autopsies produce. If this is a strange coincidence involving heart attacks and such, it will be obvious at autopsy. If no such cause is found, toxicology might be very important.

The deaths seem to close together in time and in unrelated individuals (and too sudden) to suspect infectious disease at this point.

Just a moment...

http://www.fanhouse.com/news/main/3-runners-die-competing-in-the-detroit/722070?icid=sphere_newsaol_inpage

3 runners die competing in the Detroit marathon
Posted Oct 19, 2009 3:10 AM Email Print Share Text Size A A A
DETROIT -A half-marathoner and two other runners died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, organizers said.
Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 a.m. between the 11- and 12-mile markers, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership.
Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed at 9:17 a.m., near where Langdon went down, and 26-year-old Jon Fenlon of Waterford collapsed at about 9:18 a.m., just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37, Harshbarger said.
It was unclear whether Brown and Langdon were participating in the 13.1-mile half marathon or the full race.
Harshbarger told the Free Press that there were at least six medical stations on the race course and that emergency personnel were on the scene within seconds.
Every runner must sign a medical release form, and they are encouraged to talk to their doctors before they run the race, Harshbarger said.
"On a day when so many people bring such energy and challenge themselves to do their utmost, this news is very difficult to hear," said Free Press editor and publisher Paul Anger said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the families."
The temperature was about 28 degrees when the marathon started and had risen to 41 degrees by 10 a.m. Running coach Keith Hanson said he doubted that the weather had anything to do with the deaths.
"The wind never kicked up," Hanson said. "In my mind, the conditions were perfect."
Deaths at marathons are relatively rare. The last death at the Detroit event was in 1994 when a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.
More than 19,000 people were registered to participate in the 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon on Sunday.
Nicholas Stanko, of Haslett, Mich., took first place in the marathon with a time of 2:20:24. He said he was inspired by members of the track and cross country teams at Haslett High who came out to cheer him on. Stanko and his wife, Theresa, both teach and coach at the school.
"I just tried to give them the best I could," he said. "I ended up just holding on. You always just hold on by a thread at the end, and my thread didn't break today so I lucked out."
Sarah Plaxton, of Highland, Mich., was the top female finisher in the marathon with a time of 2:57:09. The 41-year-old mother of three said she didn't realize how close she was to the lead runner until supporters lining the streets told her she was reeling in the leader with less than a quarter-mile to go.
"I was in shock, actually," said Plaxton, who sprinted across the line for the win. "I didn't even see her until I turned the corner, and then I gave it everything I had."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2009-10-19 03:01:53

**JimO** · October 19, 2009, 10:41 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

There was at least one death and a lot of people sent to the hospital at the 2008 Chicago marathon, but that was because it was unseasonably hot. With the weather like it is, I doubt heat was an issue in Detroit. In fact, it's perfect marathoning weather (I've run a few in recent years).

**alert** · October 20, 2009, 11:03 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

Page Not Found (404) | USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-10-19-detroit-marathon-deaths_N.htm

More tests needed for men who died in Detroit marathon
Posted 17h 21m ago | Comments 2 | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print |

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By Amber Hunt, The Detroit Free Press
Autopsies for the three men who died running Sunday's Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon are complete, but it still isn't clear what caused the deaths, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office.
The office is submitting tissue and blood for further testing, including toxicology, before determining the cause and manner of the seemingly sudden deaths, officials there said. Those tests could take several weeks to finish.

EARLIER: Men all collapsed around same place on course

"All three cases are pending," investigator Val Knight said.

The men ? Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg; Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, and Jon Fenlon, 26, of Waterford? died within a 16-minute span during the marathon in downtown Detroit.

Langdon collapsed on Michigan Avenue between the 11- and 12-mile markers at 9:02 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, Brown collapsed near the same spot.

The youngest victim, Fenlon, collapsed at 9:18 a.m. just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37.

The marathon is an annual event in its 32nd year. The only other fatality recorded during the event was in 1994 when a 42-year-old runner died of a heart attack.

**alert** · October 20, 2009, 11:05 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jC87b8dqot_-Uku5X99x2tBdSD4gD9BEGOMO0

3 who died in Detroit race described as healthy
By COREY WILLIAMS (AP) ? 15 hours ago

DETROIT ? The deaths of three runners who collapsed during a 13.1-mile half marathon appear to have been an aberration, but at least six runners have died while competing in such events in the last two months.

Autopsies were inconclusive Monday on the bodies of Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio; Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg in central Michigan; and Jonathan Fenlon, 26, of Waterford, northwest of Detroit. The Wayne County medical examiner has requested toxicology tests.

The three died Sunday during or after running a half marathon at the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon. Brown and Langdon collapsed near the end of the race, and Fenlon died after crossing the finish line. Friends and family of the men said they had trained for the 13.1-mile race and were in great shape.

Their deaths follow those of two runners in their mid-thirties who died earlier this month while running a half marathon in San Jose, Calif., and a 23-year-old man who died in September after collapsing during a half marathon in Virginia Beach, Va.

"This is definitely atypical. In a given year, you're looking at four to six deaths," said Ryan Lamppa, a researcher for Colorado Springs-based nonprofit Running USA. "Some years are higher. Some years are lower."

There are about 0.8 deaths for every 100,000 runners who complete a marathon, Lamppa said. He said he did not immediately know the rate of death for overall participants in full or half marathons.

All of the runners in Sunday's races, which included full and half marathons, had to sign a medical release form and were encouraged to talk to their doctors before participating, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership, which organized the race.

Making sure runners follow those precautions is something that can't be "policed," Lamppa said.

"Almost all of the runner deaths we hear about, it's always described as he or she is in great health," said Jean Knaack, executive director of Arlington, Va.-based Road Runners Club of America, a nonprofit promoting long distance running.

"Even if they are runners and are doing all the right things, they might have a genetic heart condition," Knaack said. "No matter what, whenever you start an exercise program or whether you are a beginning runner, you should consult with your doctor. Regular runners need annual physicals."

Participation in full and half marathons has been growing over the past 10 to 15 years, Lamppa said.

In 2008, an estimated 425,000 runners completed full marathons in the United States, and 715,000 finished half marathons, he said.

The half marathon in Detroit drew about 8,500 runners last year. On Sunday, about 9,000 signed up. About 4,500 ran in the full marathon this year compared to 4,259 in 2008.

The last death at the Detroit event was in 1994, when a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.

Sunday's three deaths came as a shock to friends and family of the men, who described them as in good shape.

Brown, the oldest of those who died, usually ran the full Detroit marathons, but decided to join his wife in the shorter event, his friend Chip Allman said.

"He'd had some health problems which weren't related to running. He wasn't in the best of shape," said Allman, president of the River City Runners Club in Parkersburg, W. Va. "He'd run some half marathons already this year and did well in them."

Langdon had run half marathons before, but hadn't trained for a full marathon, said his mother-in-law, Deborah Windish.

Fenlon jogged and weightlifted, was healthy and had no history of heart-related ailments, said his mother, Laura Fenlon.

Fenlon had run shorter races than a half marathon, including about four miles in last year's relay portion of the Detroit marathon and had been training with his girlfriend since June for Sunday's race, said his mother, Laura Fenlon.

"They had been running like six miles," Laura Fenlon said.

Lamppa said a runner should average between 50 and 70 miles per week when training for a full marathon, and 25 to 50 miles each week for the shorter version.

"I wouldn't take running the half marathon lightly," said Dr. Stephen Pribut, who has run two full marathons and specializes in sports medicine in Washington D.C. "In general, it's not something that we expect to kill you. It's odd and freaky to have three die in the same part of the course."

**alert** · October 20, 2009, 11:08 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

And the story reaches New Zealand.

Three die during Detroit marathon

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2009/10/20/1245ce1e4df6

Three men have died within 16 minutes of each other while running a marathon in Detroit.

Three die during Detroit marathon
Updated at 2:01pm on 20 October 2009

Three men have died within 16 minutes of each other while running a marathon in Detroit.

The Detroit Free Press, which sponsored the event marathon, reports that they collapsed and died.

Autopsies for the three men are complete, but it is still not clear what caused their deaths.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office is submitting tissue and blood for further testing.

The marathon is an annual event in its 32nd year. The only other recorded fatality during the event was in 1994 when a runner died

**Shiloh** · October 25, 2009, 06:35 AM

Re: Three die of unknown cause during Detroit marathon

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/2009102...or-other-races

Posted: Oct. 25, 2009
Marathon deaths a concern for other races

BY JO-ANN BARNAS
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

As the longtime medical director for the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota, Dr. Bill Roberts helped write a crisis manual for his race organizers a few years ago.

"It includes everything," he said, "like, 'What if there's a tornado? What if there's a bomb scare? What if there's a fire? What if there's ice on the roads?' "

For this year's Twin Cities Marathon, held earlier this month, Roberts said a current health issue was added to the list: How to respond to an H1N1 breakout.

For next year's event, Roberts already has begun to address another topic in response to last Sunday's deaths of three runners during the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. The three -- all men -- died within a 16-minute span while running the 13.1-mile half-marathon race.

"I've actually put this on our agenda for discussion," said Roberts, a professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Minnesota. "Can we handle three deaths in 16 minutes? This is generating discussion around the country: 'What if this happens in our race?' "

The funerals for Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg; Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio; and Jon Fenlon, 26, of Waterford, were held Friday and Saturday.

Autopsies were completed, but it still isn't clear what caused the deaths, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office. Tissue and blood have been submitted for further testing.

Langdon collapsed on Michigan Avenue between the 11- and 12-mile markers at 9:02 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, Brown collapsed near the same spot.

Fenlon collapsed at 9:18 a.m., just after finishing the half marathon in 1:53:37.

Deaths have occurred at other races around the country this year: Two people -- both in their 30s -- died at the end of the Rock & Roll Half Marathon on Oct. 6 in San Jose, Calif., and one person died this month at the Baltimore Marathon.

Roberts, who has co-authored several medical studies on sudden deaths during marathons, said there's an average of five to seven marathon deaths a year in the United States.

Ryan Lamppa of Running USA -- a nonprofit organization for the running industry -- said there's about 425 marathons held each year.

Lamppa said the recent deaths shouldn't dissuade people from trying the sport.

"The fact is, the health benefits are so great," he said. "That's what people have to remember."

Contact JO-ANN BARNAS: 313-222-2037 or jbarnas@freepress.com. Check out her Olympics blog at freep.com/section/blog34.