Was Fiennes Too Fit?
Rannulph Fiennes' heart attack has sparked at least one media look at the possible impact of intensive endurance sports on health
Posted: 11 June 2003
by Jon
Well, you kind of new it was going to happen - following on from
the sad news of Sir Rannulph Fiennes' emergency heart bypass
operation following a heart attack at the weekend, at least one
national newspaper has jumped on the 'is exercise bad for you'
bandwagon.
Yesterday's Guardian G2 section carried a story
titled: 'Is it possible to be too fit?' as a direct response to the
super-fit explorer's heart attack. The story by David Adam points out
the role of hereditary factors in heart disease, before going on to
explore what actually happens during a cardiac arrest and questioning
whether the extreme stress of Fiennes's polar expeditions might have
had longer term physiological effects that could have contributed to
his problems.
The answer, according to one expert, if you can't be bothered to
read the story, is that 'we haven't done enough research in this
area', but it's an interesting read and also cites some research that
suggests pro-level endurance athletes may be at risk of producing
increased levels of an enzyme associated with heart attack
victims.
Before you get all doomy, remember we're talking about people
operating at a high level of exertion for extended periods, not a
wander up Snowdon and, as a counterbalance, the Grauniad also
included a thankfully positive piece by a habitual runner who
concludes: 'I don't run because I want to live longer. I run because
I want to live better'.
Couldn't have put it better ourselves. So don't reach for the
booze, fags and a comfy sofa just yet...
Rannulph Fiennes has now been moved out of intensive care and is
reportedly 'stable and improving.' See this
story on ITV.com
Discuss this story
Having read the article, the one "known factor" appears to be the hereditary risk of heart disease. Anything else is little more than speculation at the moment. Whatever the reasons, there's no doubting Ranulph's achievements. It seems tasteless to attempt to connect these achievements in some way to what has happened to him, so soon after the event. I am sure we all hope that he will make a full recovery from his operation.
Posted: 11/06/2003 at 21:27
The runners adage "listen to your body" acknowledges that overtraining can damage your body. There are many cases of explorers and athletes doing long-term damage (or even killing themselves) through over-exertion but like Ranulph Fiennes this is often to achieve something outstanding by pushing themselves to the limit. For most of us exercise is doing some good, I don't believe for one minute these latest crackpot theories & tabloid articles encouraging couch potatism as a way of life. They are publicising extreme examples of over-exertion to appeal to those lazy & stupid enough to believe it. It doesn't do most peoples' health any good to blob out all the time and it isn't a way of life anyway, just a long slow death.
Posted: 12/01/2005 at 12:29
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