Dr Rakesh Sinha, a 60-year-old renowned gynaecologist and veteran of four marathons, passed away in the early hours of Monday, mid run, in Mumbai.
The late Dr Rakesh Sinha
The runners’ community in the city was saddened by his death, but they pointed out that his death should not be linked to running alone.
Dr Rajasekhar Varada
Dr Rajasekhar Varada, senior cardiologist, Yashoda Hospital, who has been running for a long time now says, “It’s unfortunate that this happened, but Dr Sinha’s death doesn’t mean that the risk of death in runners is high. People who run are more protected from death than those who do no exercise.” Dr Hemanth Vudayaraju, surgical oncologist and robotics surgeon, Apollo Hospitals says, “According to statistics, the death rate is during a run or during a preparation of a marathon, is less than one per one lakh. This is a very low number, but these deaths make news because runners are assumed to be healthy people.”
Dr Hemanth Vudayaraju
The running community in Hyderabad comprises several doctors and they all believe that every death is multifactorial. “Runners need to get the right nutrients, good sleep and should try and manage the stress in their lives. In Dr Sinha’s case, even though he passed away during a run, it can’t be the reason for his death,” explains Dr Hemanth Vudayaraju.
“When you’re sitting and talking to someone, your heart pumps around five litres of blood per second, but when you run a very long distance, that amount goes up by 700 per cent. So, the heart is obviously taking a lot of load and if it isn’t in a good condition, it could lead to cardiac arrest,” explains Dr Varada, who recommends a check-up for anyone who wants to take up an endurance sport.
Dr Chandra Sekhar Ramineni
Dr Chandra Sekhar Ramineni, orthopaedic surgeon and runner, says that people who run can’t stop because they love the sport. “In the case of Dr Sinha, only an autopsy can give us the details of his sudden death, so it’s unfair to blame his training. But one needs to listen to their body. Slow down when the body is not responding and don’t push yourself further and one needs to take care of their nutrition, rest and recovery,” he advises.
An office-bearer of the Hyderabad Runners’ group says “I knew Rakesh Sinha and he was a very active man and a well-accomplished runner. But, one should not attribute his death to running. If someone dies in their sleep, will you attribute his death to sleep? Death is unpredictable. As far as Sinha is concerned, he was quite healthy and spent his life exercising and doing whatever he could to lead a healthy life for so many years. He obviously knew his limit and took good care of himself. What happened was unfortunate, but I don’t believe that running had anything to do with it.”
Dr Varada cautions those who are above 50 years of age and training for a run. “People above 50 are at a risk of developing coronary heart disease and this can precipitate a heart attack like situation when someone is doing an unusual level of physical exertion. During training, do not ignore signs from your body. If left unchecked, it could actually lead to a heart attack during the run. It’s never the run alone that causes the heart attack, it’s factors that contribute to it,” he says.
Sonu Kumar, who has been running since five years now, says, “Any sport that you take up has risks involved and just because Dr Rakesh Sinha passed away while running doesn’t mean that running causes deaths. We should be very practical when it comes to such issues and should not discourage people from running. Dr Rakesh Sinha could have passed away in his sleep as well, it just happened that this tragic incident occurred when he was running. Carrie Fisher suffered a heart attack on the flight, does that mean we stay away from flights?”
