Running or watching TV?

And again deaths with marathons hit the headlines. Both inAthens and New York (2).

To counter this kind of news Runnersworld America posted this fictional news item a while ago:

A Mississippi man died yesterday while not running in a local marathon.
Les Actiff, 43, of Jackson, Miss., collapsed while watching television in his Hattiesburg home. Attempts to revive him failed, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
He was still clutching a bucket of fried chicken.
Like 25% of the U.S. population, Actiff was obese. Federal statistics show that nearly a third of U.S. adults 20 years and older are obese; about two-thirds are overweight. Actiff had been a non-runner for more than 20 years, according to his family and friends.
Family members were stunned.
"I don't get it," said his wife, Bess. "He didn't run all his life. He was always so inactive. And now, this. You just never know, I guess."
"At least he died doing what he loved," she added. "Not running."
Spectators gathered outside Actiff's home were similarly shocked.
"I'll never not run," said one woman. "It's too dangerous."
A large man on a scooter, out walking his dog, was more fatalistic: "If you can avoid doing a single positive thing for your health your whole life, just sit around like a lump and eat poorly and then still drop dead... Well, I just don't know. I guess when it's your time, it's your time."
Actiff appears to have died from atherosclerotic heart disease, according to Lamar County Coroner Paul Caste.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, at the Pizza Hut off of I-59.

And to add something to reflect upon for the Dutch readers / situation. Recent research has shown that 60% of the Dutch live rather unhealthy. So maybe we should take 30.000 people out of this 60% together a whole day long an give the moderate excercise. Lets see how they will do. I don't think you'll find regular runners among this 60%.
Further illustration: in the NL every year 45.000 people die of heartattacks or other cardiac related disseases. The totals a 125 each day! I wonder what these figures will be for the states. Now wonder the with well over 30.000 runners you have someone collapsing every now and then....
Combine this with research that has shown that fat around the belly (in Dutch) is very dangerous and the fact that running is one of the best fatburners and you wonder why not everybody turns off the telly and gets out at least 3 times a week for 45 minutes of running...

Added om 17/11: 21 year old in half marathon...