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Death by triathlon vs. marathon
How would you rather go?
Weekend warriors are twice as likely to die while doing a triathlon as they are to die during a marathon, according to a study by Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. And the greatest risk during a triathlon is caused by heart problems during the swim portion of the event, when cold water constricts blood vessels, making the heart work harder.
Harris presented the study at an American College of Cardiology conference in Florida last week. Read more about it here.
The risk of death during a triathlon is about 15 deaths per million participants, according to the study. The risk of death during a marathon is about 4 to 8 per million.
Don’t hang up your amateur athletic career just yet. That’s a pretty low risk, don’t you think?
I’m happy to say I’ve survived both. But it always pays to have your heart health checked before doing either.
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