Dan Tunstall Pedoe

Abstract

Cardiologist and first Medical Director of the London Marathon. Born in Southampton, UK, on Dec 30, 1939, he died of a heart attack in London, UK, on Feb 13, 2015, aged 75 years.On March 29, 1981, more than 6000 people raced a circuitous route around the River Thames in the first London Marathon. 35 years later, the event attracts six times as many competitors. It might never have got off the ground without cardiologist Dan Tunstall Pedoe. Together with the race's founder, Chris Brasher, he shared a vision that it should be a people's marathon. Some medical experts had expressed alarm that hundreds of lives might be put at risk by allowing anyone to take part. They wanted the race restricted to highly trained athletes.It was Tunstall Pedoe who convinced Brasher and his critics that a people's marathon could be run safely. It was a bold claim and it cost many weeks of his time over the 27 years that he served, unpaid, as the race's Medical Director. But the medical standards he set provided the benchmark for marathons internationally. Tunstall Pedoe became one of the world's most experienced doctors in marathon medicine. Nick Bitel, Chief Executive of the London Marathon since 1994, said: “When people started questioning whether ordinary people could do the marathon it was Dan that Chris turned to for advice. Dan shaped medical provision at marathons around the world. He used to say that if you were going to have a heart attack the best place to have it was at the London Marathon. You were never more than half a mile from a doctor, a defibrillator, and medics trained to use it.”A keen endurance runner, Tunstall Pedoe ran the first London Marathon himself, completing it as quickly as possible so that he could tend to the runners who came after him. He was the only doctor. For the 2015 Marathon, there will be 170 doctors, 1500 St John Ambulance members, 50 first aid posts, and three intensive-care units at the finish. Proper training and preparation was the key to safety, Tunstall Pedoe said. Any runner with a known heart condition, or who had shortness of breath or chest pain, should see a doctor before entering the race and all runners should be able to complete a 15 mile run before the day, he maintained. There have been just 12 deaths during the 35 years of the race, making it among the safest—most people died from pre-existing heart conditions, two had brain haemorrhages, and one died from hyponatraemia. But he was realistic about its punishing effects. “The training is good for you, but I wouldn't say that running a marathon is good for you”, he once said. On the Saturday before each year's race, he organised the London Marathon Medical Conference, which became a fixture and attracts speakers from around the world to discuss the science and health problems linked to marathon racing. One area in which he became keenly interested was hyponatraemia, caused by drinking too much water, a common problem in endurance runners. Tunstall Pedoe edited the book Marathon Medicine, published in 2000, and set up the London Sports Medicine Institute.The son of a distinguished mathematician and a geography lecturer, Tunstall Pedoe studied medicine at Cambridge University and St Bartholomew's Hospital. After postgraduate work in Oxford and California, he joined London's Hackney Hospital in 1973 where he built up the cardiology department and did pioneering research on the use of doppler techniques to measure blood velocity. Later he played a key part in setting up the new Homerton Hospital, becoming chair of the commissioning team. Louise Abrams, consultant physician at the Homerton, said: “He was a local man committed to the local community. He saw to it that the wards at the Homerton were named after local people. When he was unwell he came to the Homerton for treatment.” A strong believer in the National Health Service, Tunstall Pedoe was the antithesis of the Harley Street doctor. He did very little private work, although he had many requests, according to his son, Ian.Tunstall Pedoe was a keen astronomer, chess player, and photographer, specialising in microphotography of insects. But running was his first love. Even when the park opposite his home was shut he would climb over the railings to go for a jog. In later years, he had Parkinson's disease. His wife, Diana, a nurse whom he married in 1968, predeceased him last year. Tunstall Pedoe is survived by his identical twin brother, Hugh, Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the University of Dundee, and by his three children and three grandchildren. Cardiologist and first Medical Director of the London Marathon. Born in Southampton, UK, on Dec 30, 1939, he died of a heart attack in London, UK, on Feb 13, 2015, aged 75 years. On March 29, 1981, more than 6000 people raced a circuitous route around the River Thames in the first London Marathon. 35 years later, the event attracts six times as many competitors. It might never have got off the ground without cardiologist Dan Tunstall Pedoe. Together with the race's founder, Chris Brasher, he shared a vision that it should be a people's marathon. Some medical experts had expressed alarm that hundreds of lives might be put at risk by allowing anyone to take part. They wanted the race restricted to highly trained athletes. It was Tunstall Pedoe who convinced Brasher and his critics that a people's marathon could be run safely. It was a bold claim and it cost many weeks of his time over the 27 years that he served, unpaid, as the race's Medical Director. But the medical standards he set provided the benchmark for marathons internationally. Tunstall Pedoe became one of the world's most experienced doctors in marathon medicine. Nick Bitel, Chief Executive of the London Marathon since 1994, said: “When people started questioning whether ordinary people could do the marathon it was Dan that Chris turned to for advice. Dan shaped medical provision at marathons around the world. He used to say that if you were going to have a heart attack the best place to have it was at the London Marathon. You were never more than half a mile from a doctor, a defibrillator, and medics trained to use it.” A keen endurance runner, Tunstall Pedoe ran the first London Marathon himself, completing it as quickly as possible so that he could tend to the runners who came after him. He was the only doctor. For the 2015 Marathon, there will be 170 doctors, 1500 St John Ambulance members, 50 first aid posts, and three intensive-care units at the finish. Proper training and preparation was the key to safety, Tunstall Pedoe said. Any runner with a known heart condition, or who had shortness of breath or chest pain, should see a doctor before entering the race and all runners should be able to complete a 15 mile run before the day, he maintained. There have been just 12 deaths during the 35 years of the race, making it among the safest—most people died from pre-existing heart conditions, two had brain haemorrhages, and one died from hyponatraemia. But he was realistic about its punishing effects. “The training is good for you, but I wouldn't say that running a marathon is good for you”, he once said. On the Saturday before each year's race, he organised the London Marathon Medical Conference, which became a fixture and attracts speakers from around the world to discuss the science and health problems linked to marathon racing. One area in which he became keenly interested was hyponatraemia, caused by drinking too much water, a common problem in endurance runners. Tunstall Pedoe edited the book Marathon Medicine, published in 2000, and set up the London Sports Medicine Institute. The son of a distinguished mathematician and a geography lecturer, Tunstall Pedoe studied medicine at Cambridge University and St Bartholomew's Hospital. After postgraduate work in Oxford and California, he joined London's Hackney Hospital in 1973 where he built up the cardiology department and did pioneering research on the use of doppler techniques to measure blood velocity. Later he played a key part in setting up the new Homerton Hospital, becoming chair of the commissioning team. Louise Abrams, consultant physician at the Homerton, said: “He was a local man committed to the local community. He saw to it that the wards at the Homerton were named after local people. When he was unwell he came to the Homerton for treatment.” A strong believer in the National Health Service, Tunstall Pedoe was the antithesis of the Harley Street doctor. He did very little private work, although he had many requests, according to his son, Ian. Tunstall Pedoe was a keen astronomer, chess player, and photographer, specialising in microphotography of insects. But running was his first love. Even when the park opposite his home was shut he would climb over the railings to go for a jog. In later years, he had Parkinson's disease. His wife, Diana, a nurse whom he married in 1968, predeceased him last year. Tunstall Pedoe is survived by his identical twin brother, Hugh, Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the University of Dundee, and by his three children and three grandchildren.