European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Runners Over 30 continued from Page 13 Pittsburgh in which the autopsy is said to be Normal Quot Thompson said. Quot what happens then we re not  the cause could be a slight malformation in which the coronary arteries seem to come off of the heart at an Odd Angle Thompson said. Or it could be an inflammation of heart muscle perhaps from something As innocent As influenza. Quot i Tell people if they be got the flu especially with muscle aches they should t be exercising Quot Thompson said. Van Camp said that running deaths usually described in news accounts As heart attacks Are actually caused by heart rhythm abnormalities. Quot it s electrical chaos rather than the synchronized electrical stimulation of the heart Quot he said. Perhaps the most Well known Case of exercise related death was that of Jim Fixx the author and running enthusiast who died while running in 1984, it turned out that he had underlying coronary artery disease. If he had had a physical examination he might be alive and running Van Camp said. Quot his disease almost certainly would have been detected. He would have been a Good candidate for bypass surgery Quot Van Camp said Quot and probably would have written a Book on coming Back from heart disease Quot drinking and dousing themselves with cold water Are two ways runners try to beat the heats amps Gus Schuettler no sweat could be fatal by Marc Bloom new York times heat is a runner s worst enemy but unusually Cool temperatures can also contribute to hazardous conditions by robbing runners of their most effective warm weather weapon sweat. Runners should acclimate themselves to the heat gradually. Exercise physiologists say this process usually takes 10 to 14 Days. In this period sweat rate increases you begin sweating earlier on a run which helps keep your Core body temperature Down. Because of Cool weather in the last several weeks however runners in the new York area have had Little Chance to sweat. They must beware of a sudden hot spell especially for races such As the l eggs mini Marathon a 10-Kilometer 6.2-mile race for women run in new York s Central Park. It is Well known that in hot weather the demands of Competition can cause dehydration and an Elevation in body temperature resulting in heat cramps heat exhaustion or heat stroke which can be fatal. Runners must alter their goals Pace and drinking habits. Many inexperienced runners do not know however that the most severe heat ailments tend to occur before the really hot weather settles in. A seemingly innocuous temperature combined with an increase in humidity can be devastating. The highest number of heat exhaustion cases at the Boston Marathon occurred in 1985, when temperatures were in the Low 70s after several Cool weeks in the 40s and 50s. Nadia Ghent a 32-year-old Manhattan violinist who was one of 9,000 runners in the la eggs race got a taste of this Springs capricious weather in the l eggs tune up a 5-Kilometer 3.1-mile race on May 13. Although temperatures were in the 60s, the weather was extremely muggy with humidity above 90 percent. Quot it was very uncomfortable Quot said Ghent whose performance was Well off her Best. Quot the humidity terribly affected my  Quot anytime the humidity rises above 75 percent it dramatically cuts Down on the amount of sweat that s evaporated from the skin Quot said Larry Armstrong a heat researcher who is a physiologist with the . Army Institute of environmental Medicine in Natick mass. Acclimating enables the body under stress to become an efficient Cooling system. The evaporation of sweat cools the skin. Also while sweat production increases the sodium Content of sweat is reduced. Since sodium holds water less sodium loss Means less water loss from the body s fluid compartments. Since sweat production is critical women would seem to be at a disadvantage because it is a medical fact that women tend to sweat less than men do. But the difference in sweating is based on conditioning and size not the persons sex Armstrong said. Larger individuals tend to sweat More but they have a greater surface area to Cool. Women who Are usually smaller than men have less heat buildup and less surface area. They Don t need As much sweat on the skin for evaporation. Although men and women Are More or less equal when the gun sounds for a hot weather race men far outnumber women in the prevalence of heat related ailments Armstrong said. The reason he believes is that women take a More prudent approach to racing in the heat. Allan Steinfeld of the new York Road runners club the race director of the l eggs mini Marathon agreed Quot women tend not to be As hard Core Quot Steinfeld said. One strategy is to drink a lot and for the l eggs race there will be two cups of water per competitor at every mile Point along the route and at the Start and finish. Quot drink before the race and in the Early Miles Quot said Bob Glover coach of the Atlanta women s running team. Quot if you wait till five Miles to take a drink by then it la be too  Glover recommends drinking 8 to 12 ounces of water three times in the hour before the race with your last drink 10 minutes before the Start Quot during the race a Glover said a grab two cups at each Aid station a one to drink the other to toss onto your  although some studies have found that dousing yourself with water does not lower body temperature most runners find this practice refreshing. Race conditions in which the temperature is More than 70 degrees and or the humidity climbs Over 60 percent can be dangerous for runners. And exposure to the Sun increases the body a capacity to store heat by 10 to 15 percent Armstrong said. Although sweating is a positive sign excess sweating adds to the peril of dehydration. For some runners replenishing most fluids May seem almost impossible. Typically a runner might lose two to four pints of fluid in an hour on a hot Day. One pint of fluid loss is equal to 1 Pound of body weight. Monitor your weight to determine How much you sweat. Symptoms of heat distress during running include fatigue dizziness headache nausea and muscle cramps. Since racing under any circumstances can cause acute discomfort distinguishing Between typical distress and health threatening symptoms is sometimes hard. Err on the Side of caution. Stop and walk if you must. Most experts agree that for runs of an hour or less cold water is Best for dehydration. For Long runs or marathons Quot sports Quot drinks containing electrolytes a electrolytes Are lost through sweating a have been found beneficial. Page 14 a a a the stars and stripes tuesday jul