The Mysterious Syndrome Destroying Endurance Athletes

In 2012, ultrarunner Mike Wolfe's career crumbled at the Transvulcania Ultramarathon, a collapse he later attributed to overtraining syndrome (OTS), a poorly understood disorder increasingly afflicting elite endurance athletes. As ultrarunning's popularity soars, top competitors like Anton Krupicka and Anna Frost have mysteriously lost their abilities. Experts like David Nieman and Jeff Kreher explain that OTS occurs when excessive training without adequate recovery disrupts the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a sudden, profound loss of performance. Wolfe's story illustrates the condition's devastating impact, as he responded to his initial failure by training even harder, worsening his state.