A marathon is a grueling task. A 26.2 mile race that often requires months of training to build up the stamina and willpower to complete this type of long distance running challenge. Sometimes very fit runners collapse before finishing the race or shortly after. They can even die when this happens.

It will be your challenge to look through research articles, different data sets and other classroom activities to propose an explanation for why this might happen.

A child has had a 104°F fever for several hours.  Why is this considered a medical emergency and contact of a doctor should be immediate?  What could happen to the body if the fever continues?

There are several remarkable stories of people falling into frozen lakes and despite experiencing low body temperatures, they survive!  How is the effect of hypothermia on the body different than hyperthermia?

What did you learn about how the body regulates glucose levels?

What did you learn about how the circulatory and respiratory systems work together?

Identify which runner collapsed and explain why. In your answer be sure to discuss the interaction between at least two body systems. You may refer to the organizer above and organize your writing piece in the following manner:

[The following are topics that you can draw from to include in your answer]

learn about homeostasis in the human body and how it affects runners

Why Do Marathon Runners Collapse?