Diving after marathon?

[bvbellomo]

Anything wrong with doing a dive on a trip where I do a marathon? Obviously, going down 100 feet right after crossing the finish line might not work so well. But what about a not-so-challenging reef dive a day or two after? Anything to be aware of, other than general exhaustion?

I know from experience, I thought I could run 2 marathons back to back (I think 10 days apart) and I was NOT recovered for the 2nd marathon even though I felt great at the start - I finished the 2nd race, but no where near my time goal.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

I think you would be fine on a shallow reef dive, but this did happen to a female diver recently. From what I can remember off the top of my head is she was in really good shape and had a very strenuous workout the night preceding and she died at like only 60 feet I want to say. I think she was a public service officer. Its worth looking into I believe she had an embolism. I saw the article posted here.

Hope this helps.

 

[bvbellomo]

While that's sad, it doesn't tell me much. Lots of people die suddenly, and she may have died diving if she didn't work out, or didn't dive, or even just dropped dead in the middle of the grocery store. This happens all the time, and just doesn't make the news.

Being in great shape may actual make this more dangerous. If I could (and did) run a 2:30 marathon, this might be a lot more dangerous than my closer-to-4 hour pace.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

They believed the strenuous activity and then diving within 24 hours of that, was the cause of the embolism. Article is here somewhere.

Im sure someone else will chime in too, good luck.

 

[DerekR]

I give it at least 48 hours after a marathon. There's just too much residual fluid and waste products in your system within 24 hours. Better safe than dead. BTW, this is only my own opinion after finishing 22 marathons, and diving for 47 years.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I'd wait. I've run a couple of marathons and more halfs than I can remember. I think you run the risk of cramping at a really inopportune time if you're within 24 hours of the race. There's also the issue of the fit woman who died. The diver being referred to was IIRC a British police officer and fitness fanatic on holiday in the Mediterranean region (Spain?).

OK, rather than guess, here's a link to one of the news stories. Googling her name might get you more info:

Super-fit police officer died while scuba diving after she went for a run the night before, inquest hears

(For what it's worth, I've swum laps and then played with my kids after a tough morning diving, and I was cramping up like crazy when normally it's a pretty easy workout for me. But in my case, the exercise was AFTER the dives.)

 

[dcg69]

I'm not a doctor, but the rule of thumb is no intense exercise 24hr before and 24hr after the dive.
Here you can find a DAN article :
What is Decompression, Diving, Exercise and Timing — Medical Dive Article — DAN | Divers Alert Network

Keep in mind that a marathon is way more "intense" than what the article is probably referring to.

I would contact DAN for more detailed medical advice DAN | Medical

 

[Billy Northrup]

I have an opinion based on experiences.Living and diving 3 to 5 days a weeks here in South Florida is a bit of a challenge to stay hydrated. When I first moved here I was running 3 miles 3x a week, gym 4x+ a week and 3-5 dives a week. I entered a slippery slope of perma dehydration, my shoulders, hips and elbows were in constant throbbing pain. After sharing my story with other professionals here, this is fairly common.

Assuming you are flying in, marathon then flying out I would say that's enough. If you must then stack it in your favor like staying to 33/10m feet and 40%. Personally I would kick back enjoying taco's and beer with like minded marathon friends and dive another time.

 

[bvbellomo]

I'm not a doctor, but the rule of thumb is no intense exercise 24hr before and 24hr after the dive.
Here you can find a DAN article :
What is Decompression, Diving, Exercise and Timing — Medical Dive Article — DAN | Divers Alert Network

Keep in mind that a marathon is way more "intense" than what the article is probably referring to.

I would contact DAN for more detailed medical advice DAN | Medical

This answers my question - we really don't know:

Interestingly, some preliminary work has shown that an intense bout of exercise conducted 24 hours prior to diving may reduce bubble presence in humans,3 possibly by inhibiting micronuclei activity. This potentially protective effect was not seen with exercise conducted closer to dive time. While this effect needs to be validated, the preliminary findings may support a simple rule of thumb for scheduling exercise.

We do not yet have sufficient data to quantify the difference between beneficial and potentially harmful exercise. Understanding the various issues and applying common sense confers the best protection. Most important is that moderate time-depth profiles are your best defense. Exercise considerations provide only a secondary defense.