PowerBar founder (and former world-class marathon runner) Maxwell collapses, dies at 51

USA Today ^ | 3/20/04

[Libloather]

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. (AP)

[BunnySlippers]

My only sibling, my brother died of a massive heart attack at age 42. It happens.

[mrfixit514]

Eat right, exercise — drop dead at 52 anyway.

Healthy people dying of a heart attack is the exception. For every person that exercises regularly and dies of a heart attack, there are thousands who exercise and prolong their lives.

Of course fat, lazy people will find some excuse not to get off their butts no matter what the facts are.

[HighWheeler]

"PowerBar founder Maxwell collapses, dies at 51"

Now he's taking a PowerNap™.

I don't think these extreme physical events do most people any good. Football players, boxers, runners, etc. die faster. The damage done is excessive in each event, and can accumulate over a long series of events.

Everything in moderation, including moderation. Good exercise that raises the heart rate, burns fat, and does not leave you immobile with damage and pain the next day is great.

[expatpat]

How about "Too much exercise shortens your life"?

[July 4th]

Look up the condition that killed Blum, the reporter in Iraq, last year. It's a heart condition of some type.

I believe David Bloom died from deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), also called "economy-class syndrome" by air travelers. If you don't move around for a while, you can develop blood clots in your legs, which then travel to the lungs or get caught in your arteries. Some people are more prone than others, including women on birth control.

[Fred Hayek]

Jim Fixx had a really bad family history of heart disease, so there is a major genetic factor there. His brother died in his thirties. There were other early deaths due to heart disease in that family. So maybe Jim Fixx got in a few extra years thanks to his running. There is another factor in Fixx's case - he thought running alone would improve the situation. He still had a really high fat diet.

[mlmr]

These guys tend to die of ventricular fib of the heart rather than a cholesteral clog or a clot. It tends to be an electrical problem rather than plumbing.

[Twinkie]

Moderation in anything is probably wise. I've seen
some runners on the side of the road who do not look
at all happy. Who knows? The health thing is driving
me nutty, too. My mother-in-law is in her 80's and
has barely walked to the bathroom and back for her
daily exercise, eats butter and sugar and is doing
quite well. Oh, well.

[Floratina]

I wonder if this man's lifestyle is going to undergo the kind of scathing examination as Dr. Atkins' did.

[Hand em their arse]

I read through your post regarding moderation and totally agree! Then I looked at your name and started laughing, quite coincidental!!

[battlegearboat]

Turns out he was at the Dead Letter Office.

He's got a new Zip Code.

He's now voting Democratic for sure!

New address unknown.

Will he be buried in a P.O. Box?

Cliff Klaven named honorary pallbearer.

You know, if Mama Cass Elliot and Karen Carpenter had just shared that Dagwood sandwich, they'd both be alive today.

[Our man in washington]

Musket wrote:

"IMHO people are just over doing it. Would primitive man run for 3 hours straight?"

You make a good point. I trained for and ran a marathon last year. I was doing some serious mileage--20+ mile runs on Saturdays with a few 7-9 milers during the week. I felt tired and cranky a lot of the time.

Since the marathon, I've switched to shorter runs (3-5 miles) and have just been loving life. That's enough to get the endorphins going, but not enough to wipe me out.

[TruthNtegrity]

I love Neil Armstrong, and here he was - this Astronaut who was supposed to do all this exercise and stay "especially fit". I therefore absolutely love the quote you gave above.

Bravo, Neil Armstrong!

[chaosagent]

Yes, but to be fair, Adkins slipped on an icy sidewalk, hit his head, and never regained consiousness.

He was 72.

[stylin19a]

Might as well add Euell Gibbons to the list.

[Criminal Number 18F]

author who popularized the sport of running

Fixx became a runner because he was told by docs that his heart was bad and that he was at death's door. The cardiovascular benefits of running probably prolonged his life.

I loved to run but my joints and bones won't support it any more; I'm having a hard time finding an alternative.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[My Dog Likes Me]

I agree that there is something intuitively wrong about stressing your heart, lungs, legs, and feet on daily punishing runs in preparation for some meaningless marathon. We've all seen these people running around town in the morning or evening with a grim determination in all kinds of weather. There is nothing to admire about the "joggers," in my view. They seem addicted to a high they get when they run, supposedly. They need counseling.

They're all going to become a real fiscal drag on our health care system when they hit their 60's.

[NYpeanut]

Plus, this is a good reminder always to keep your drawers and closets neat so the person choosing your funeral wear doesn't think you're messy. tsk, tsk

[Major_Risktaker]

Maxwell collapsed Friday at a post office,

What happened? Did a postal worker ackowledge his existence?

NO, Just a guess....Maxwell was most likely mailing his U.S. Income Tax Return's in and dropped dead.

[decimon]

I loved to run but my joints and bones won't support it any more; I'm having a hard time finding an alternative.

There's a thing you might try that involves all the motions of running but is staying in place and rocking onto the balls of your feet. Not the same workout but easy on the joints and doable nearly anywhere.