Skip to main content

Runner in His 60s Dies at 10 km Race in Iwate In Hot and Humid Conditions

At the Takuboku Fureai Road Race in Morioka, Iwate on Sept. 10, a runner in his 60s collapsed midway through the 10 km race and died. The man was reported to have collapsed at a drink table 8.5 km into the race at around 11:15 a.m. Conditions at the race were hot and humid, and a large number of people dropped out. Although he was immediately treated with an AED and given CPR, the man was taken to the hospital under cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.

At 10:00 a.m. on the day of the race, the temperature in Morioka was 29.5˚ with 77% humidity. In nearby Koma, the heat index, a measurement used in guidelines for preventing heatstroke, was 29.5, placing the area under a risk level of "high" with the guidelines warning people to avoid strenuous exercise.

A total of 1743 people started in the Takuboku Fureai Road Race, which featured divisions from 3 km to half marathon. Over 400 people dropped out midway due to the effects of the heat, and being unable to meet the checkpoint cutoff times. The race was called off around 11:30 a.m. Morioka Municipal Sports Bureau director Gen Hakoishi commented, "A lot of people were dropping out, so with the runners' safety in mind we made the decision to stop the race midway."

Asked for guidance on steps the average runner can take to avoid the risk of heat stroke, Prof. Tatsuya Kamihama of the Iwate University Department of Health and Physical Education said, "As the temperature increases, if you are not feeling well in any way the importance of not pushing yourself also increases." Prof. Kamihama also stressed the importance of hydration and being informed pre-race. "You sweat more than you would expect, so be sure to hydrate properly during the hour or two before you run. Get informed about the conditions and steps to take, and do more than what you think is necessary."

With record-breaking heat on the books throughout 2023, taking steps to mitigate the risk of heat stroke while running is more important that ever.

source article:
translated and edited by Brett Larner
photo © 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee


Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
The Sydney Marathon is on this Sunday and the forecast temperature is in the 30 degree area. Those that finish quickly might avoid the very oppressive heat but those that take around 4 hours or so might suffer. Add in potential poor air quality due to back burning activities and we have a recipe for disaster. I hope the runners take the necessary steps to ensure their safety and prioritize health. It is such a shame the weather has turned so quickly here. I ran a test half marathon last Sunday and it was only 3 degrees at 5am! What a difference a week makes!
September 15, 2023 at 5:01 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chien Breaks TPE NR, Iwata Betters ID-Class WR - Weekend Track Roundup

The last weekend of the academic and fiscal year saw at least 5 meets with good results domestically and abroad. Kicking things off Friday was the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where Tomohiro Shinno and Naoto Hasegawa took 1st and 3rd in the men's high jump, both of them only clearing 2.18 m along with 2nd-placer Roman Anastasios . 12 other Japanese athletes were in action on the second day of the meet on Saturday, where 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura ran 3:42.84 for 6th in the men's 1500 m. Nagiya Mori had a better one in the men's 3000 m with a 7:45.40 for 4th. Both Yota Mashiko and Rui Suzuki cleared 8:00 too, Mashiko's 7:53.84 the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese-born high schooler. Abigail Fuka Ido and Nagisa Takahashi both placed 3rd in their events, Ido going 23.85 (-0.9) in the women's 200 m and Takahashi clearing 1.82 m in the women's high jump. 8 Japanese men were at The TEN in California to run 10000 m. In the B-heat won by Edward Marks in ...
2 comments
Read more

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...
81 comments
Read more