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Sad but......

pmclaine

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Nov 6, 2011
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    1.5 mile run is "Grueling"?


    Must have had underlying health issues.

    I didnt go to boot camp in what I would consider the best shape, I have a way better understanding of PT now, but still I was able to exceed the minimums.

    We can not get people to pass the minimum pt requirements for a cop job that is pretty much a minimum $2 million career.

    I dont know maybe Im just an alarmist.
     
    Daily Mail is well known to sensationalize, especially when anything military is concerned as very few of their readers are veterans (as well as their writers), so "grueling" is no surprise here.

    The IST (Initial Strength Test) at Parris Island is watched like a hawk, it's where the ones hiding asthma get weeded out, as well it's where those reconsidering their life's choices intentionally stall out and blame some shit on their recruiter instead of just saying they're a little bitch. I may know a little about the latter from personal experience, good thing I had a waiver run on that kid in the first place so I didn't go to investigation. In any case, this wasn't initial testing and this man wasn't even a plebe any longer either.

    There may well be underlying conditions within his medical history here, but I have a feeling there is probably something else he did or was experiencing. The young man was an athlete through his adolescence, and he was also in the middle of his sophomore year at the academy, so he was not new to a 1.5 mile run in the least. Those who I've seen collapse in a timed run for record when they can otherwise handle it easily otherwise have often taken something to cheat the system. I saw one take excessive hits from an inhaler, dropped like a sack of potatoes, others back in the ephedra days would take a triple dose and their heart would just go into overdrive. Not saying this guy did anything like that, but when someone who has proven they can do the run several times before suddenly drops, something is definitely different this time versus previous.

    At the same time, disease could be contributing as well. We all know how bad going to sick call is viewed, especially when it's at semi-annual PFT time, and it's the middle of cold season right now. A respiratory condition would be severely aggravated on a PFT run, stressing the heart and causing collapse.

    R.I.P. to the young sailor.
     
    It always sucks to see someone with potential die so young.

    Unfortunately, even if we rule out substance use, there are a number of heart defects - congenital and otherwise - that can strike someone at this age. Unfortunately, exercise can exacerbate some of these problems by thickening the heart (something that tends to happen in many endurance athletes with little or no consequence, but can combine with other conditions to produce tragic results).

    If we had a functioning health care system in this country that applied preventative care to reduce future costs, I suspect that many of that problems could be found with simple exams such as ultrasound or stress tests. But we tend to only do those on people that are already sick.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Maggot
    First, RIP, young man.

    Is that carrying a pack or load of any kind, or just in a track suit.

    I was one of the worst runners ever but at that age could do a mile in under 6 minutes and up until about 4 years ago at 65 when I hurt my hip I could do a mile in 7 minutes or so w/o pushing too hard. That was not carrying any load.

    Seems a bit of a low requirement for men of that age. If Im wrong correct me, and again RIP and condolences to the family.