Skip to content
swastya.ai

Two runners died on one Sunday. Is running still safe?

How rare race-day deaths really are, the signs your body gives first, and why running is still one of the best things you can do for your heart.

5 min read · Updated

A man and a woman in their forties run side by side at an easy pace in a city road race at sunrise.

The short version

  1. 1

    Deaths at races are rare: about 1 in 5 lakh runners in the largest study of marathons and half marathons.3

  2. 2

    When they happen, the usual cause is a heart problem nobody knew about. Hard effort is the trigger, not the cause.5,6

  3. 3

    Regular runners have about 30% lower risk of dying early, even at 5–10 minutes a day.11

1 November 2026

Two runners, one Sunday

A 36-year-old collapsed minutes after finishing the full marathon at the Hyderabad Hi-Tech Marathon. The race team gave CPR and rushed him to hospital, where he died.1 The same day in New York, a 24-year-old running her first marathon collapsed about 3 km from the finish and died in hospital.2

Neither cause has been confirmed. Our thoughts are with both families. If you run, it’s natural to wonder whether you should stop. The evidence says keep going, and it tells you what to watch for.

How rare

Rare enough to make the news

1 in 5 lakh

runners died after a cardiac arrest during, or within an hour of, a US marathon or half marathon. That’s from 29 million finishers, 2010 to 2023.

Each dot is 500 runners. India has no study of this size yet.

The same study found the risk is higher in full marathons than halves, and in men than in women.3 In Paris, cardiac arrests were 15 times more likely in the last kilometre of 20 km and half-marathon races, where most runners speed up.4

Why it happens

The heart problem was usually already there

Under 35
Mostly a condition nobody had found: a thickened heart muscle, an unusual heart artery, an inherited rhythm problem, or heart inflammation after a viral fever.5,6
35 and over
More than 8 in 10 cases are blocked heart arteries.5 Indians tend to get heart attacks earlier: at 53 on average in South Asia, against about 59 elsewhere.7
At any age
Heat stroke, and drinking far more water than you sweat out, which dilutes the salt in your blood.9,10

In an ICMR study of sudden deaths in Indians aged 18–45, COVID vaccination was linked to lower odds of sudden death, not higher.8

Signs to never run through

  • Chest pain, pressure or tightness, during or after a run.
  • Breathlessness that’s out of proportion to your effort, or doesn’t settle.
  • Dizziness or light-headedness, especially with a racing heart.
  • Fainting, or nearly fainting, during or just after exercise.
  • A racing, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
  • Runs that used to feel easy suddenly feel hard.
  • Confusion or stumbling in the heat. Cool the person down at once.
  • Headache, nausea or confusion after drinking lots of water.

Stop, walk to the nearest medical point or volunteer, and get checked. A normal report from last year doesn’t cancel a new symptom.

Before a race

Who should see a doctor first

Symptoms when you exert
Chest pain, unusual breathlessness, palpitations, fainting or dizziness, now or in the past year.5,9
Diabetes, BP, cholesterol, smoking
Or kidney or heart disease. Ask your doctor before you train for a half or full marathon.5,9
A family history
A relative who died suddenly with no clear reason, or had heart disease young.5,8
Over 35 and new to running
A check-up with an ECG before a long race. Your doctor decides if you need a treadmill test (TMT).5,6
A fever or viral illness
Skip the race. If a doctor finds heart inflammation, it means no hard exercise for 3 to 6 months.5,9

Race day

Five rules from race doctors

  1. Weeks before

    Build up slowly

    Add no more than 10% a week, and try nothing new on race day.6,9

  2. Race week

    Unwell? Don’t start

    Fever, a cold, vomiting or loose motions mean sitting this one out.9

  3. Race morning

    Check the heat

    Slow down if it’s hot and humid, and fill in the medical details on your bib.9

  4. On the course

    Even pace, drink to thirst

    Don’t sprint the last kilometre, and don’t force down water you don’t want.4,10

  5. After the finish

    Keep walking

    Cool down and drink gradually. Get help for chest pain, dizziness or confusion.9

Learn CPR

Fast CPR is why most now survive

66%
of runners who had a cardiac arrest at US races survived in 2010–2023, up from 29% a decade earlier, as CPR and defibrillators (AEDs) became routine.3
88%
survived a cardiac arrest at Paris races between 2011 and 2024.4

If a runner collapses: shout for the medical team, start chest compressions, and get the AED. A short CPR class is worth more than any race-day gadget.

The bigger picture

Why running is still worth it

  • People who don’t runBaseline
  • Runners: death from any cause30% lower
  • Runners: death from heart disease45% lower
55,137 adults followed for about 15 years. The benefit showed up even at 5–10 minutes a day, at slow speeds.11

A review of 14 studies found any running, even once a week, linked to 27% lower risk of early death.12 Very heavy training, many hours a week for years, is linked to more irregular heartbeat and more calcium in the heart’s arteries, but not to higher death rates.13,14 That debate is about extreme volumes, not your 30-minute morning run.

Questions

Questions people ask

I run regularly. Should these deaths make me stop?

No. In the largest study of US marathons and half marathons, about 1 in 5 lakh runners died after a cardiac arrest. Regular runners have about 30% lower risk of dying from any cause and 45% lower risk of dying from heart disease. Keep running, respect the warning signs, and get checked if you have risk factors.

How can a fit, young runner just collapse?

Usually because of a heart problem nobody knew about. Under 35 that is often a thickened heart muscle, an unusual heart artery, heart inflammation after a viral illness, or an inherited rhythm problem. Over 35, most cases are blocked arteries. Fitness and smartwatch readings can’t rule these out.

Which heart tests should I get before a half or full marathon?

It depends on your age, risk factors and how active you are now. If you are over 35 and new to running, or have diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, smoke, or have a family history of sudden death or early heart disease, see a doctor for an examination and an ECG; they decide whether you need a treadmill test or more. If you are already active, low-risk and have no symptoms, extra tests usually aren’t needed.

Are these deaths caused by the COVID vaccine?

The best Indian evidence says no. An ICMR study of 729 unexplained sudden deaths in people aged 18–45 found COVID vaccination linked to lower odds of sudden death. Higher odds were linked to past COVID hospitalisation, a family history of sudden death, binge drinking or very hard exertion in the 48 hours before, and drug use.

I had a fever this week. Can I still run on Sunday?

Skip it. Race doctors in Mumbai and London both advise against running with a fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or a flu-like illness. Viral infections can inflame the heart, and if that is diagnosed, guidelines say no hard exercise for 3 to 6 months. There will be another race.

Sources

  1. 1.Telangana Today: 36-year-old software engineer dies after completing marathon at Gachibowli Stadium (2 Nov 2026)
  2. 2.AP via ESPN: NYC Marathon runner dies after collapsing 2 miles from the end (3 Nov 2026)
  3. 3.Kim JH et al. Cardiac arrest during long-distance running races. JAMA, 2025.
  4. 4.Chocron R et al. Sudden cardiac arrest during endurance racing: a decade of the Paris registry. Europace, 2026.
  5. 5.European Society of Cardiology. 2020 Guidelines on sports cardiology and exercise.
  6. 6.Vora A et al. Prevention of sudden cardiac death in athletes, sportspersons and marathoners in India. Indian Heart Journal, 2018.
  7. 7.Joshi P et al. Risk factors for early myocardial infarction in South Asians (INTERHEART). JAMA, 2007.
  8. 8.ICMR (Ponnaiah M et al.). Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18–45 years in India. Indian J Med Res, 2023.
  9. 9.Tata Mumbai Marathon: Medical advisory and safety guidelines.
  10. 10.Hew-Butler T et al. 3rd International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Statement. BJSM, 2015.
  11. 11.Lee DC et al. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. JACC, 2014.
  12. 12.Pedisic Z et al. Is running associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality? BJSM, 2020.
  13. 13.Franklin BA et al. Exercise-related acute cardiovascular events: an update. American Heart Association, 2020.
  14. 14.DeFina LF et al. Mortality with high physical activity and coronary artery calcification. JAMA Cardiology, 2019.

Swastya shares health education, not medical advice. Lab ranges vary by lab, age and condition, so read your numbers with your doctor, and see a doctor promptly for any symptom that worries you.

Read next

Got a report with a flag? Ask Aira.

Send your lab report on WhatsApp. Aira explains every number in plain words, in your language, and Teresa helps you build one habit at a time, for 12 weeks.

Chat with Aira on WhatsAppHow Swastya works