Noel Carroll was the mastermind behind the Dublin marathon

Dear Sir,

AS we approach what would have been the 76th birthday of my uncle, Noel Carroll (right, in his US college days), on the 7th December, I want to share some details of the cause of his death in a effort to bring an end to rumour and hearsay within the running fraternity.

Noel Carroll was born on the Strand Road in Annagassan, Co Louth in 1941 and died on the race track of UCD on the 23rd October, 1998 of a Myocardial Infarction (MI), more commonly known as a heart attack. He died as result of atherosclerosis, which caused the MI. His arteries became blocked with cholesterol containing plaque and his heart stopped pumping.

Having read the post mortem, it was a very shocking and distressing time for his wife and four children as well as the extended Carroll family.

There was evidence of smaller MIs on his heart, therefore he had had undetected heart attacks prior to the major incident that caused his death.

As we approach the twentieth anniversary of his untimely death, it is a fitting legacy that he has influenced so many to take the first step and put on their running shoes, with the Noel Carroll Viking 10K in Annagassan attracting over 400 participants last month and the Dublin Marathon, which he started in 1980, having over 20,000 participants this October.

It was only recently I discovered what a national and international superstar he was and remains so in the hearts and minds of many. He ran his 800M personal best of 1:46.6 in 1968. However, running did not pay the bills and he started his working life in IBM.

He went on to be a regular in the news, defending Dublin Corporation as their Public Relations Officer for over 25 years, regularly telling Dubliners if they live near water, they can expect to get their feet wet every so often.

For the last two years, he was the Chief Executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Work-related stress may have been a contributing factor to his untimely death. He led a clean living lifestyle. He did not drink or smoke; ate brown bread and a banana for his lunch after his runs in Trinity college track.

So, it is correct to assume that running was not necessarily what caused his death, however, it almost certainly extended his life as he may have succumbed at a younger age if he had not been so fit and healthy.

Atherosclerosis is better known as hardening of the arteries and is caused by high cholesterol in the blood. It appears that it was part of his genetic make-up which made him susceptible to this silent killer. Diet and lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of it causing health problems, however, twenty years ago, cholesterol testing was not the routine blood test it is today. Yours, Adrienne Carroll School Lane