Runner Micah True found dead in New Mexico

I heard yeserday about his death and that they would have to organise an extraction due to where this had happened. It seemed he died as he lived, doing something he loved.

It's said a lot about people, but I think Micah True was a fantastic person (and runner of course). With a real passion for the wild trails and helping the Raramuri. Having read the Christopher McDougall book, I was also very interested to see him at a talk in York last year (proceeds to corn and other things for Raramuri). Came across as a nice and normal guy, you could tell he was nervous talking to a crowd at start of talk - not a natural presenter, but warmed up nicely when he realised the makeup of the audience and it was a really interesting evening.

RIP Caballo Blanco

Looks like he went out as he would have wanted, but how sad to pass away at only 58 years of age, I thought he had years more ahead of him. However,  in the more recent photos  he didn't look all that well to me.

RIP Caballo Blanco, rest well mate.

Just found this while wandering round some sites

Chemical tests during an autopsy suggest that True was mildly dehydrated and had caffeine in his system.  The most striking autopsy finding was dilated cardiomyopathy....enlargement of the left ventricle (the pumping chamber of the heart) along with thickening (hypertrophy) of its walls.  No specific cause for the cardiomopathy was evident and the coroner speculated that the immediate cause of death was a fatal arrhythmia.  Quoting from the autopsy report:

he decedent did not have a regular physician and no medical records particularly electrocardiograms or blood pressure readings were available for review

and

he best determination is that of unclassified cardiomyopathy which resulted in a cardiac dysrhythmia during exertion.

Cardiomyopathy refers to a situation where the heart muscle is weakened.  There are a variety of causes.  The condition can be inherited.  The typical example is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition that predisposes an individual to sudden cardiac death (SCD) because of fatal arrhythmias.  There are also acquired forms, due in adulthood primarily to coronary artery disease (CAD) or valvular heart disease.  But none of these appeared to be the case for True.  And occasionally a cause cannot be identified and we call the situation idiopathic (meaning, simply, without identifiable cause).  In the absence of any other identifiable cause of death, the coroner is probably correct, though, in attributing True's death to a sudden, fatal arrhythmia.

If there is a lesson here for athletes, it's this:  even in seemingly healthy, fit athletes, there is the very real possibility of unsuspected--and potentially serious--unrecognized heart disease.  Take nothing for granted.  Most athletes would be well-served by medical screening for heart problems and by taking any warning signs seriously.

Literally finished the book this morning. A very inspirational man. To think he was a pretty good runner and also a decent boxer too!

God Bless

JF50 wrote (see)

If there is a lesson here for athletes, it's this:  even in seemingly healthy, fit athletes, there is the very real possibility of unsuspected--and potentially serious--unrecognized heart disease.  Take nothing for granted.  Most athletes would be well-served by medical screening for heart problems and by taking any warning signs seriously.

I think it's a lesson for everyone about getting check out and not ignoring the signs of illness. I hope that he suffered no pain.

Just for interest's sake - athlete's heart

Hypertrophic (thickening) of the heart is not uncommon in people who do high volumes of endurance training - the heart muscle adaps just the same as other working muscles.

Emmy and Sarah I agree with both of you, running or any endurance sport will have an effect on the heart structure and so lots of us will have a larger left ventricle and thickened walls, much as most of us will have bradycardia in terms of resting heart rates.  But all of us are also capable of suffering arrythmias and sometimes for no detectable reason.  Getting checked out if you suffer from certain symptoms can at least detect anything obvious.

Micah seems likely to have suffered an arrythmia and unlike Fabrice Muanba the footballer, he was miles from anybody with a defibrillator when he collapsed.

Because of the high profile the recent deaths and collapses in professional sport has given to cardiac health and screening, all Team GB athletes have been tested for the Olympics.  Out of about 550 athletes two were found to have a condition, Wolff Parkinson White syndrome which can cause sudden cardiac death and were told they would not be included in their squads without undergoing catheter ablation to eliminate the problem.  Obviously no names were released and I am not sure if they have still been included in their sports.