Press
is agog with reports of a Kenyan woman, Hyvon Ngetich, 29, finishing third
at Austin Marathon. The Austin marathon
is a qualifier for the prestigious Boston Marathon ~ When asked why she didn't
quit, Ngetich, a native of Kenya, said, "Running, always you have to keep
going, going." If you wonder how coming third could make news, read on
!
Marathon
races are held across the globe … Often
we see running shows organised …. Running is a good exercise… Pheidippides hero of Ancient Greece, is the central figure
in a story that was the inspiration for a modern sporting event, the
marathon. He was reportedly sent to
Sparta to request the help when Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He is believed to have run 240 km in two
days. Then he ran 40 km from the
battlefield to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle
of Marathon (490 BC); he collapsed and died of exhaustion. And the long
distance running event was named after – this is usually a distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards),
run as a road race. A half marathon is a
road running event of 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi) ~ it is half the distance
of a marathon and usually run on roads.
Kenyans
dominate marathons whether it be a medal event or a road show – however,
according to npr.org It's impossible to
measure exactly what makes for marathon gold. Daniel Lieberman, Harvard evolutionary
biologist Daniel Lieberman has studied the evolution of running. He spent years
studying the evolution of running, including the biomechanics and physiology of
children and adults who run in rural and urban regions of Kenya. According to him, Kenyans are so fast, so
dominant, Ethiopians too do well – still runners from Africa are only a little
bit faster than the rest of the world, just a few minutes faster over the
course of slightly more than two hours. It's impossible to quantify all of the factors
that make one runner better than another. It's probably a combination of
training, determination, culture and biology.
The area of Kenya where a lot of the best runners come from — the
Western Rift Valley — is a beautiful, wonderful place. In a way, people there are poor and work hard. There are almost no
jobs apart from subsistence farming. There are no factories, and very few
secondary schools. So there are really few options for young people to better
their lives. They can either work hard on a farm or train to be a great runner. The region is at high altitude. All together,
this part of Kenya has a large population of incredibly fit runners who run
barefoot and work hard. Besides, Kenyans, train with incredible heart,
motivation and intensity, without any of the advantages that Americans get.
Kenyan
woman, Hyvon Ngetich, came third, actually crawled the last mile on her hands
and knees down. It is reported that Hyvon
Ngetich, 29, was leading the pack of top female runners at the 23-mile mark,
but with victory in sight, exhaustion set in and the Kenyan athlete started to
fade. By the time the finish line came into view, Ngetich's body began to shut
down, but the determined runner was not ready to give up. Unable to run
anymore, Ngetich collapsed to her knees and proceeded to crawl on all fours,
her eyes locked on the finish line. Race volunteers rushed to Ngetich’s side
rolling a wheelchair, but she refused to sit in it.
The resolute woman continued to inch forward down
Congress Avenue under the watchful eyes of medical staff, with the crowd
cheering her on every step of the way. If anyone offered her help, Ngetich
would have been disqualified from the race.
Right before she
crossed the finish line, Austin runner Hannan Steffan beat Ngetich for second
place. Her compatriot Cynthia Jerop won
the race in 2:54:22. But it was the
determined, unyielding Ms Ngetich who won the hearts of the spectators Sunday. ‘You ran the bravest race and crawled the
bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life. You have earned much honour, and I
am going to adjust your prize money, so you get the same prize money you would
have gotten if you were second,’ Austin Marathon race director John Conley told
Ngetich. Ngetich’s personal record in the marathon is 2:34:42. Fellow Kenyan
athlete Betram Keter won the men’s race in 2:16:21.
Looking back on her
inspiring feat, Ngetich said she does not how she managed to finish the race at
all. The story might seem inspiring at
first glance, but Dr. Laura Goldberg, a sports medicine specialist at Cleveland
Clinic and medical director of the Cleveland Marathon, told ABC that people
should never attempt what Ngetich did. "For the non-elite crowd, there
should never be a reason why runner a should crawl to the finish,"
Goldberg told ABC. "I get nervous about hearing this story, how it
translates through the general population."
She said
dehydration, overheating and muscle cramping could have all led Ngetich to
crawl to the finish line, but non-elite runners shouldn't follow her example no
matter how miraculous her perseverance. Here's what to look for in her words:
·
-Your mental status has changed. While it's normal for
runners' thinking to change slightly during a marathon due to exhaustion, if
you forget where you are or why you're running, stop, Goldberg said. This can
be a sign of overheating, an electrolyte problem, dehydration or something else
·
-You've stopped sweating or you have chills. This means
your body isn't able to regulate its temperature properly. "Sweat is a way
to let off heat,"
·
-Cramping is all over. Runners are used to cramps, but if
it's a body-wide feeling, don't push through it.
·
-Your heart is racing faster than usual. This can be a sign
your heart is in trouble, and you could pass out even if you're an elite runner.
·
-You're experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath or
feeling faint. Again, your heart is telling you it's in trouble, and you should
stop.
Though
distance runners are used to pushing through pain, Lavie said they should
recognize when it's time to stop.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
18th Feb
2015.
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