The news that Adam Nickel died after completing the Little Rock Marathon because of the confluence of an extremely rare and difficult-to-detect medical condition and very unlucky timing gave race director Bill Torrey closure, but no comfort.
Nickel, 27, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, finished 18th in the March 2 race after completing the 26.2 miles in 3 hours, 2 minutes, 26 seconds, which is considered an elite time. He had a heart attack at the finish line and died moments later.
Autopsy results from the Arkansas Crime Lab, released Monday, indicate that Nickel had a vascular disease known as "multifocal small coronary artery fibromuscular dysplasia," which means he had small heart arteries that restricted the flow of blood. The small arteries were near a critical part of the heart that regulates electrical impulses.
That, combined with abnormal electrolyte percentage levels that many distance runners experience, including raised potassium percentage levels, led to a significant heart arrhythmia that proved fatal.
"I'm glad we have some sense of closure or at least know what the problem was," Torrey said. "It helps us understand what happened, even though I don't see any way to have prevented this. But it doesn't comfort me to know that; I haven't looked at it that way at all. The biggest thing is thinking about Adam and his family, thinking about their loss.
For more information see today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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