In a message dated 10/5/00 8:56:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> This was passed on to me from Coach Jim Hunt, All American Long Distance
> Running Coach --
>
>
> From "Dr. Hunt!" Bill, you asked for it. Suzy Favor Hamilton collapsed
in
> the finals of the Olympic 1500 due to complete glycogen depletion.
> Suzy does not possess the basic speed that some of the other
competitors
>
> possess. In order to run as fast as she was attempting to do, she had to
> run
> at a
> velocity that was too high of a percentage of her basic performance speed
> for
> too long. The glycogen demanded by her muscles to do the work that the
> brain
> was commanding of them was completely depleted.
> As to the dehydration effect, it takes 4 lb. of water to produce 1 lb.
> of
> glycogen. Oxygen must mix with glycogen in order to produce energy.
> Glycogen is stored in the liver, muscle cells and blood stream and must
> receive oxygen in the amount
> demanded by the working muscles to continue to work at a desired level.
> When stored glycogen is depleted, the body will attempt to make more.
> The
> process of making glycogen requires a large quantity of water which would
> lead to further dehydration.
> In addition to the depletion of fluid, her body could not deliver
> sufficient oxygen to produce the muscular contractions that her central
> nervous system was commanding. Suzy could not extract enough oxygen from
> the
> air and deliver it to the working muscles in the amount necessary to be
able
>
> to continue with the high rate of velocity that she needed to run.
> In Suzy's attempt to run for 4:00 at a velocity of 6.25 meters per
> second, complicated by the lack of body fluids, her heart rate soared to a
> new maximum causing her body temperature to rise to possibly as high as
105
> degrees-106 degrees. Her body's cooling system was not prepared to
> dissipate
> this much heat. This high temperature coupled with the panic of seeing
her
> competitors fly by her caused her body to go into traumatic shock.
> Traumatic
> shock causes the large arteries to expand, literally robbing the working
> muscles and the brain of oxygen carrying blood.
> When traumatic shock occurs, the mechanisms causes the body to go into
a
>
> prone position in an attempt to restore oxygen to the brain. Once in a
> prone
> position, enough oxygen returned to her brain for her to muster the energy
> to
> stand up.
> Her tremendous desire to win had programmed her body to move forward
to
> the finish line. When Suzy reached the finish line the energy again was
> completely depleted.
> At this point, her body's protective mechanisms caused her to collapse
> again into a prone position. After several minutes of intravenous fluids,
> electrolyte restoration she was able to quietly leave through the back
door
> without any further assistance.
> This traumatic experience will most likely make it extremely difficult
> for Suzy
> to ever push her body hard enough again to get close to world record time.
> Her central nervous system will never forget the torture that her body
went
> through and the protective organisms of her body will resist any attempt
to
> duplicate this act in the future.
> Alberto Salazar was an exceptionally determined athlete who could
> withstand severe pain for long periods of time. He was able to force his
> body to work to near death in two separate marathons before his body said "
> no
> more, Al."
> Good luck Suzy. We all appreciate what you have done for track and
> field.
>
> "makes sense to me!"
>
> Bill "maddog" Scobey
Good gosh, there is no shame in losing a race. Why all the explanations and
double talk. Fancy explanations will only tarnish her image. She got passed,
threw in the towel, and went down.
Mike Platt
