A healthy man runs but never stops. Would he eventually faint due to lack of energy or have heart attack?

Question

This is not some trick question. Factual answers only please.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the heart is limited, as I'm not a specialist or an MD. But unless the man has an unlimited pain tolerance, it's going to be the build-up of lactic acid that causes him to stop running. That "burning" you feel from sore muscles is caused by the fermented product of lactose, an alternative energy source the body's muscles use when low on glucose and oxygen. The painful sensation comes from the friction the acid causes when you try to move muscle filaments covered by the acid as well as the nervous system telling you your body needs to get rid of the acid in a given area. A heart attack seems plausible, but most runners couldn't run themselves into a heart attack if they want to. If you keep pushing your muscles to the very limit, they will eventually give out. Your skeletal muscle tissue will refuse to continue to damage the organ you're working and you could seriously sprain your tissue. If he doesn't pass out from fatigue, I'm sure he'd pass out from pain response. Hope that helps!

Answer 2

You would succumb to dehydration and/or muscle fatigue.

Answer 3

Faint.

Answer 4

His blood vessels would dilate, but the heart will be pumping so fast that he will go into cardiac arrest.  He needs to run at appropriate times.

Answer 5

Consider runners who run marathons and ultramarathons.  

It used to be believed that one should not eat during exercise.  However, it was also realized that at some point the body runs out of energy due to fat and glycogen loss or depletion.  In marathons, they used to call it "hitting the wall".  At that point, the muscles simply ran out of energy sources and many runners would stop.

Although lactic acid is constantly formed during muscle activity, during endurance exercise the lactic acid is removed from the muscles and recycled due to a phenomena called the "lactate shuttle."  Only during high speed races (sprints) lactic acid is formed in large amounts with resulting levels of pain that will prevent further exercise.

Now, will the person pass out?  Possibly, but probably not.  However, they will likely become very disoriented.  After long endurance events in which the athlete has done nothing (or not enough) to replenish energy in his/her body, blood sugar would be very low.  The brain is VERY dependent on large supplies of blood sugar, and it would be possible that the brain could shut down and cause a coma.  This however is very rare.  

A heart attack is also possible IF the person had sweated a great deal and had sweated out large amounts of electrolytes (minerals that help control movement of water).  If, in particular, potassium levels (potassium is an electrolyte) were to drop then the person could have a heart attack.

Which would occur first can not be determined.

Answer 6

He'd collapse or injure himself.  Running is pretty punishing on the body.  I'd guess something in the lower back, shins or knees would give.  But if he was strong he'd get a long, long way first.

Answer 7

YES. probably not a heart attack. But eventually you would run out of energy and become dehydrated.

Answer 8

ur body can only go so long without stopping.  u could get overheated, dehydrated, have a heat stroke, ect. if u run and ur body can't anymore.  

u can tell when ur body has had enough.  u could throw up, faint, become dizzy, confused, delusional, ect.  basically when ur body has had enough, it has had enough.