The Dangers of Marathons... Do you agree?

   As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of endurance sports, specifically Marathons, 1/2 Marathons and Triathlons.  I feel like I have truly accomplished something when I complete one of these races.  But in the back of my head are the horror stories of people who collapse on the course and die.  Just a week or two ago a 22 year old died while running a 1/2 marathon in Chicago!  My heart goes out to his family and friends, who were probably waiting at the finish line for him to celebrate his victory over 13.1 grueling miles, never suspecting that they'd end their day in the hospital.  How terrifying! 
  
   My Dad and I constantly email articles back and forth about running, different races we want to run and even our own personal race goals.  We are each others running partners and when I run with my Dad it is never about beating each other (although he does like to brag that he has beaten me ina few races due to my knee issues).  So today I opened up my email to see an article from him about Marathon Running and how it leads to an increased risk of heart failure.  Oh great... Is this him sending me a subtle message?  But I read the article and would like to know what you think!

Here's the link: Healthier Talk

   So I want to know...

1. Do you agree with the article?
2. Does it change your mind about running these long distances?
3. Will you continue to run Marathons, 1/2 Marathons, Ultramarathons?
4. How far is too far?

I'm just very interested to see what you think about this.  It was an eye opener for me in many ways and is certainly something to think about and consider!