Races — Runner dies at Rock N Roll Dallas Half-marathon

JoeEnglish - 4:58 am | no comments

running advice bug Races Runner dies at Rock N Roll Dallas Half marathonDallas,TX — According to multiple sources, a runner died today after finishing the Rock N Roll Half-marathon in Dallas. This was the inaugural running of the new Rock N Roll series event. According to USA Today, 32 year-old Mark Austry of Lantana, Texas collapsed at the finish-line and died.

While the number of runners who die in marathons is very small, there have been a number of deaths at races over the last year, including at the Dallas White Rock Marathon, Country Music Marathon, Baltimore Marathon, Manitoba Marathon and the Rock N Roll San Jose Half-marathon all in 2009. In 2009, nearly 468,000 full-marathon finishes were recorded in just the United States alone according to research done by marathonguide.com. The number is substantially larger when adding half-marathon finishes. For comparison, the established rate of sudden death is 0.8 deaths per 100,000 with marathons and the rate is 1.5 per 100,000 finishes in triathlons, according to analysis of more than 2,800 USA Triathlon events by Kevin Harris, M.D., of the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and colleagues.

There are a number of common reasons for runner deaths in marathons. In races run in cool weather, the most common causes are undiagnosed heart conditions or previously undetected heart disease. You can read more about the causes of marathon deaths in our article “Why do marathon runners die during marathons?”

We also discussed this topic in an episode of our weekly video show last year. You can watch the episode below.

Season 1 — Episode 26 — The Death Episode from Joe English on Vimeo.

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Races — New Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon Debuts This Weekend

JoeEnglish - 10:52 pm | no comments

running advice bug Races New Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon Debuts This WeekendDALLAS, TX –- An elite field of Texas athletes will lead approximately 13,000 registered runners at the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon, benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, on Sunday, March 14. The new event has drawn entrants from 47 states and 10 countries.

“It’s going to be a fast course and very scenic,” said Kari Logan, Event Director. “The route provides a good foot tour of the city and we’re looking forward to hosting some of the fastest athletes in Texas and we should see a fantastic race.”

The half-marathon will feature a $12,000 prize purse split evenly between the men and women. The elite race will feature a rematch of November’s thrilling half-marathon in San Antonio where Westly Keating edged out Shadrack Songok in a photo finish. Both runners made their half-marathon debuts with identical times of 1 hour, 5 minutes, 24 seconds after racing the entire 13.1-mile distance stride-for-stride.
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News — Dallas is next home to Rock N Roll Half-Marathon

JoeEnglish - 9:49 pm | 1

DALLAS — Competitor Group, organizers of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, and the Dallas White Rock Marathon have announced a multi-year partnership agreement to host an annual spring half marathon. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon is set for Sunday, March 14, 2010 and is expected to draw between 12,000 and 15,000 runners.

“From 5ks to marathons, Dallas is a city that loves to race and run,” said Mayor Tom Leppert, who joined U.S. 50k record holder Josh Cox in making the announcement on National Running Day. “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is clearly a premier, national event. We are certain the thousands of runners who participate next year will discover why Dallas is such a great place to run.”

Dallas joins the existing Rock ‘n’ Roll markets of Arizona, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, Virginia Beach, San Jose, San Antonio and Las Vegas. The half marathon will be the tenth event in the national series of musically themed marathons and half-marathons, which include live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations at each mile along the course.

“This partnership enables the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series to continue rolling out additional events in key markets,” said Peter Englehart, CEO of the Competitor Group. “The Dallas White Rock Marathon shares our commitment to providing runners with an outstanding experience, which was an important consideration when we began forming this multi-year agreement. The March timing for a stand alone half marathon works perfectly with our national event schedule.”
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