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> By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune September 06. 2014 2:00AM Long-distance running comes with heart risks 2011 death of Ashland runner highlights dangers, which will be the subject of a Medford cardiologist's presentation on Sept. 8 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Dr. Doug Naversen cheers on former U.S. marathon champion and longtime Ashland resident Ric Sayre at the Britt Firehouse Run in 2005. Sayre collapsed and died in 2011 following a massive heart attack that struck at the end of a recreational run. File photo Long-distance endurance running may not be as good for your heart as you might think. In fact, there is research to suggest it could have negative impacts. Medford cardiologist Dr. Brian Morrison will talk about the physiological changes to the heart that occur with prolonged training during a presentation Monday at the Smullin Center. Joining him will be Medford distance runner and race director Dr. Doug Naversen, who was diagnosed with heart disease three years ago. Naversen, 65, decided to have his heart checked out following the death of nationally renowned, Ashland-based runner Ric Sayre. Sayre died at age 57 when he suffered a massive heart attack after completing a recreational run in Ashland on June 21, 2011. Naversen, who has completed 255 marathons and 104 10K races in under 40 minutes, hasn't missed a day of running in seven years and averages about 27 running miles a week, he said. Needless to say, he was curious about the results of his blood screening. "Ric was a lean vegetarian, didn't do booze or drugs. He was the most unlikely person for that to happen to," Naversen said. "If it can happen to Ric Sayre, what about mortals like us?" Naversen's results were less than ideal, he said, with an LDL cholesterol twice as high as it should have been. A follow-up c omputed tomography scan revealed he had a dangerous amount of calcium built up within his arteries as well, he said. Since then, he's made dietary changes — such as cutting out fatty foods — to bring his numbers back to safe levels. "People who run at a high level have a very health-conscious lifestyle," said Morrison, an athlete himself. "They eat well, they are not smoking, they are doing the right things and they train hard. Running is a profounding thing that will lengthen your life and improve the quality of your life, but you can still have those problems. It may seem like you are protected because you run and run and run, but you're not." Atrial fibrillations and a hardening of the arteries are all health concerns that some new research suggests could be amplified by the type of stress endurance athletes place on their bodies, Morrison said. And unhealthy cholesterol levels aren't something that distance runners should think they're distancing themselves from every mile they log, he said. "Running is great, but you've got to deal with the other stuff, too," Morrison said. "I will be trying to make sense of it all and help people achieve an understanding of the risks." For Naversen, the message is clear. "The idea is: Don't wait until you have a massive heart attack," like those that killed Sayre or fitness revolutionary Jim Fixx, Naversen said. "The idea is prevention. ... if you're a runner you should get checked out." Morrison and Naversen's presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the Smullin Education Health Center at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, 2825 E. Barnett Road. Reservations are strongly suggested, as seats are filling up. Register online at www.mailtribune.com/endurance-talk . Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/swhlr . If you goWhat: Cardiologist Dr. Brian Morrison will discuss the physiological changes to the heart that occur with prolonged training. He will be joined by Dr. Doug Naversen, an endurance runnerWhen: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8Where: Smullin Education Health Center at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, 2825 E. Barnett Road, MedfordReservations: Strongly suggested, as seats are filling up. Register online at www.mailtribune.com/endurance-talk. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140906/NEWS/140909791 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->