Claire Squires, 30, who died while running London marathon, had bottle containing DMAA, inquest into death hears
Claire Squires, the 30 year old who died while running the London marathon last year, had the now-banned stimulant, Jack3d, in her waterbottle.
"Claire was always in the gym and this stuff was being widely talked about there," said Simon Van Herrewege, her boyfriend of three years.
Speaking at Squires' inquest in Southwark on Wednesday, he added. "She took it a couple of times [while training for the marathon] but didn't really get on with it. She never particularly liked it but wanted to beat her previous marathon time [of just over four hours].
"She said she was going to take one scoop, as recommended. In her own words: 'If I hit a bit of a wall, I might take this drink and see if it pushes me through the end of the marathon,'" he added.
Van Herrewege said Squires had gone online to buy the energy drink, said to boost energy, concentration and metabolism. Jack3d was banned in August last year, four months after Squires' death, after concerns over a stimulant called DMAA (dimethylamylamine) in the powder.
DMAA has been linked to high blood pressure, headaches, vomiting, stroke and a death.
Last year, the UK's medicines watchdog MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) ruled DMAA was unlicensed and that all products containing the stimulant must be removed from the market to protect public safety.
Similar rulings have been made around the world, including in the US and Australia, where a man died after buying DMAA online.
It is not known if Squires drank the water containing the powder after 15 miles, as Van Herrewege said she had been planning, but he testified that Squires, a hairdresser, was carrying the bottle containing the powder as she set off on the race.
The inquest also heard that although Stephanie Curnoe, Squires's acupuncturist, has said she identified an irregular heartbeat in the runner in 2011, the hairdresser had not mentioned that either to her family, boyfriend or doctor.
"Claire knew what she was doing," said Van Herrewege. "She was a very healthy girl. If anything was wrong with her, she would go and see a doctor. She was always very open with me and her family if anything was wrong with her but didn't say anything about the acupuncturist's saying she had a irregular heartbeat."
In a statement read out to the inquest, Squires' GP, Dr H Delargy, said she "didn't consult with me as regarding an irregular heartbeat".
In a statement read out to the inquest, Squires' father, Paul, said his daughter had experienced two convulsions when she was three and five.
The hearing continues.
via The Guardian World News http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/30/dead-marathon-runner-banned-stimulant-dmaa
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