GPS data from runner who died in the Bay area indicates possible heat stroke

The article is paywalled for me, so I cannot read. Is this the same runner who had another thread about his disappearance?

Of course he died from heat stroke.

It was 106 degrees! Duh!

Come on, man!

gpser wrote:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/GPS-data-is-revealing-new-details-about-16406992.php

“Some experts in this field looked at the data and explained to us that it’s very possible that he had a heat stroke-related incident,” Kelly [Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office] said. “This can cause people to hallucinate and act out in irrational ways before they become unconscious.”

Had to get his mandatory run in.

No one can read the article without paying for a subscription.

Could you please copy and post the text?

Or a decent summary?

This is a hugely important subject for runners and coaches. Thanks!

My guess is, heart rate climbing to near max (dehydration), pace slowing down to a near walk/crawl (muscles shutting down, rhabdomyolysis) and GPS tracing possibly even zig zagging randomly (confusion). Then, heart rate flatline and pace to zero, no movement.

Basically the gist of the article is this.

Temperature hit 106 that day.

No HR data.

Kreycik had told his wife he planned to run for an hour.

His run started at 10:49 AM.

In his first 30 minutes, his paces were sometimes dipping well below 6 minute pace.

After 5 miles, his pace slowed considerably.

Then his route on trails became erratic with zig zags and circles in a remote game area.

His pace slowed to only 1 to 2 km per hour.

Then he came to a full stop under an oak tree about 20 yards from the trail.

That's where his body was found a month later.

The erratic zig-zagging probably indicates delirium due to heat stroke.

His entire was 9.6 km.

His Suunto GPS watch kept running for 4.5 hours.

He had mapped out a loop on the Sinbad Creek Trail, but instead went in a different direction.

Social Media Hater wrote:

The article is paywalled for me, so I cannot read. Is this the same runner who had another thread about his disappearance?

I removed my ad-block and reloaded the page twice. And then rapidly scrolled to the bottom of the page. After that, it stayed open.

Basically it said sub-6 pace for 30 minutes. Then slowing to 1.2mph zig-zagging and walking in circles. Then he stopped moving under the tree. No HR data. Just GPS, pace, and time.

va coach wrote:

No one can read the article without paying for a subscription.

I can. Did you try the usual -- refresh browser, clear cache & cookies, switch off ad blocker, etc?

GPS data is revealing new details about runner Philip Kreycik's death

For more than 30 minutes on July 10, runner Philip Kreycik tore through Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park at a pace only achieved by seasoned athletes, at times dipping well below a 6-minute mile on a day that would hit 106 degrees.

But the Berkeley man began to slow considerably by the time he hit 8 kilometers, or about 5 miles, according to GPS data from Kreycik’s smartwatch. And what had been an intuitive path through well-worn trails had become erratic, with Kreycik zig-zagging in tight clusters around a remote game area before coming to a full stop.

It was the same location where search officials would find his remains nearly a month later.

The GPS data provide crucial clues into the conditions surrounding his death, after an initial autopsy found no signs of traumatic injuries. The report, obtained exclusively by The Chronicle, suggests that Kreycik may have experienced an altered mental state toward the end of his run, and that he likely died before search team boots ever hit the ground.

Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, said Kreycik’s movements could indicate a sort of delirium from heat exhaustion.

“Some experts in this field looked at the data and explained to us that it’s very possible that he had a heat stroke-related incident,” Kelly said. “This can cause people to hallucinate and act out in irrational ways before they become unconscious.”

Kreycik was first reported missing on July 10, a few hours after the 37-year-old father of two left for a run and never returned. Officials said that around 11 a.m. Kreycik told his wife he was setting out from the parking lot for a one-hour run.

This tracks with the data retrieved from Kreycik’s Suunto smartwatch, which has him beginning the run at 10:49 a.m. In chilling detail, the GPS data traces the path and splits of the entire 9.62 kilometer journey, showing that he ran for about 30 minutes, then dramatically slowed down, perhaps walking, and moved erratically — in zigzags and circles — before coming to a stop. The GPS stopped tracking movement 4.5 hours after he started his run.

In contrast to his earlier side-splitting speeds, Kreycik’s final steps are traveled at a pace of about 1 to 2 kilometers per hour, or 0.62 mph to 1.24 mph. The data did not include a heart rate monitor, which could have indicated a precise time of death, but officials said it was likely almost immediately after Kreycik came to a stop.

Kreycik’s disappearance touched off an exhaustive search that would last for weeks, encompassing hundreds of personnel and volunteers, scent dogs, drones and aircraft. It was volunteer searcher who ultimately found Kreycik’s body on Aug. 3, under a tree about a quarter mile off the trail the runner had charted on a fitness app.

But officials said Kreycik didn’t bring his phone with him on the run, and didn’t follow the trail he mapped out for himself. Instead of completing an intended loop on the Sinbad Creek Trail southwest of his car, Kreycik doubled back and headed up north toward Dublin Canyon Road to an area northwest of where he parked.

Kreycik ultimately passed away in a remote, northern section area of the East Bay park, about 20 yards off a game trail and under a large oak tree. While officials said he was about a mile off course, at one point during the final leg of the route Kreycik was just a few hundred yards from residences off Dublin Canyon Road.

Kelly said at this point officials are waiting on toxicology results but are expecting them to be inconclusive. Absent evidence of a traumatic injury, the smartwatch data may hold the most comprehensive answers about what happened to Kreycik on July 10.

“He obviously had some type of emergency,” Kelly said.

I’ve run in pretty hot temps. Both high temp, high dewpoints and both combined. That area isn’t known for having high humidity and I don’t care to check weather data, but the dewpoint was probably bearable. Midday in that sun can be brutal.

Either way, I don’t know any sane person who’d clip along at sub 6 in direct sun in 100+ weather. Is it possible the watch wasn’t reading properly? Otherwise the only other people I could see doing it at Instagram need looking to do something stupid for fans.

I would do one sub 6 in that heat for fun and as a challenge, but I can’t see making it a workout.

So y’all are aware, I’ve run in temps that hot. It’s obviously possible, but the pace just seems like a silly stunt. I’ve done hour long runs in similar conditions, but significantly slower.

Has anyone creeped his GPS history to see if the paces seem consistent with past performances? Maybe he was being chased by the cougar from a few months ago.

very strange choice wrote:

It is really odd that he would choose to go out fast on such a hot day and the time of day he went. And then also not follow the route you had plotted. I can't for the life of me understand what was going though his mind. He apparently was a smart guy, but why would he do a hard run on a very hot day starting just before 11 am, the beginning of the time window you aren't suppose to run on hot day. Was this really an accident? Seems more like a deliberate series of bad decisions leading to one eventual unavoidable outcome.

I know nothing about this guy, but I know that COVID has wrecked my ability to run when I want. My workday starts at 6am with remote work (honestly, it is 24/7), kids are at home and need constant help with things, and just less "free time" than ever before. I run whenever I have an opportunity. Not always smart. I have run no fewer than 2 dozen times this summer in sweltering, high-humidity, mid-day heat and come back looking like a drenched zombie each time. Ideally, I would have run at a cooler time - and I do often - but sometimes you just have to go when you have a chance.

I lived in SF in the late 90s and I remember running during a heat wave where it was upwards of 110 one day. With no humidity, it didn't feel that hot until... well until you were super hot. Running in the South's humidity feels awful, but maybe it keeps us from going too far.

I hope his family is able to be at peace.

If it's not humid, you really can feel OK until you're in trouble. But also, sub-6 on some buffed out downhill trails isn't necessarily a big deal.

I told my wife my best case check-out scenario is while on a run. She didn't get it till she had to have a knee replacement and couldn't train. Now she understands, go out when I am able to still get out.

Why is sub 6 min mile suicide pace? Isn't that just like a jog for a Kenyan? About the zig zag, are you sure he wasn't just running in circles to get to that whole number mark, like getting to 8km instead of 7.84 km? I do that a lot of time just to get to that whole number!