The manufacturer’s warranty on the human heart is about 100 years or 2.5 billion beats. But do ultra-long-distance runners void this warranty when they regularly run races of 50 to 100 miles?
This was the question at the top of my mind as I wrote a tall tale about Mike Nuttall, a visionary Silicon Valley product designer and an ultramarathoner with hereditary heart disease, featured in the cardiovascular health issue of Stanford Medicine. In 2010 he had a heart attack and a triple bypass operation. Then he went on to run one of the most challenging races on the planet.
Was this fearlessness or folly?
An ultramarathoner pushes a body to its outer limits. Bones and joints are pounded. Dehydration can upset the electrolyte system, the delicate balance of salts and fluids that regulates heart, nerve and muscle functions. The heart, the ultramarathoner of organs, goes into overdrive for about 24 hours. But above all, an ultramarathon tests the mind, as a runner strives to override the brain’s overwhelming signals of pain and fatigue.
In the story, there are plenty of opinions from friends and heart experts on the wisdom of Nuttall’s post-heart-attack decision. But I guess, in the end, what he did was personal and heartfelt.
Previously: Study reveals initial findings on health of most extreme runners, Euan Ashley, MD, on personalized medicine for heart disease and Mysteries of the heart: Stanford Medicine magazine answers cardiovascular questions
Photo by Bert Keely (Nuttall's wingman)
