At the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 held on Sunday, a 64-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest and died while running. 1350 other runners required minor medical assistance.
The man, identified as Gajanan Maljalkar, collapsed while crossing the 4 kilometer mark. He was running in the senior citizen category. He was rushed to the Bombay Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
One 40-year-old participant had to undergo an angioplasty and another 51 year old suffered a brain stroke, reports The Hindu.
Dr Vijay D’ Silva, director, critical care and medical affairs, Asian Heart Institute and medical director, Tata Mumbai Marathon was quoted as saying:
“Nineteen runners suffered from severe dehydration. They are given intravenous re-hydration therapy at the base camp and sent home.”
There were a total of 17 hospitalisations, with 9 admitted at Bombay Hospital, six at Lilavati Hospital, and one each at GT and Hinduja hospitals.
While 11 medical aid stations, two medical base camps (of 40 and 20 beds each) had been set up to handle emergencies, the more serious hospitalisations raise questions about fitness and training that is required to run marathons.
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