Down but not out: Collapsed lung won’t stop local athlete Tucker Markko

There’s a feeling that only runners know.

The feeling of a tingling, sometimes painful sensation where each breath taken is crucial as they run numerous miles in practice and competition.

The feeling of pain as your chest starts to hurt and you no longer think you can breathe, but then adrenaline kicks in helping you reach the ultimate goal for every runner – the finish line.

This is a feeling Tucker Markko, who was ranked third in the state in the 3200-meter run, knows all too well and why the news of his lung collapsing just weeks before the state track meet shocked the running community.

“Tucker is amazing and not only is he a great runner, but a better person,” said former Huntington cross country and track runner Hunter Sheets.

“When I heard what happened I felt so bad for him and was worried about what he was going through with his health and what his family was going through. I always strived to catch Tucker and he pushed me to become better because he showed what hard work can do and he pushed everyone to get better because everyone wanted to beat him.”

With all the medals and accomplishments Markko has earned during his decorated career at Unioto, it seemed like the district preliminaries at Washington Court House on May 14 was just like any other race day.

“Looking back at it, I thought it might just be stress so that is why I did not freak out the first day of districts,” said Markko. “While talking with the doctor later, he said it could have been a small collapse at that time that could have caused the pain I had been feeling.”

Markko felt off before his 4x800 meter relay race but shrugged it off because he had that feeling before and wasn’t concerned.

“I started my stretches and felt queasy with a watery mouth,” Tucker described. “I thought I had to throw up so went to the bathroom, but it settled down”

While Tucker’s teammates could tell something was up, no one thought it was major or though it was serious.

“Tucker and I talked and while I was concerned, I just said it may be heart burn or something," said fellow senior Jaden Watkins.

Markko did his two-mile warm-up and while he felt some discomfort, he again wrote it off and push through it. Markko ran the 4x800 meter relay but felt a lot of pain and it was hard to breath.

“I know I didn’t run my best,” said Markko.

Not only did Markko notice something was different, but so didn’t those watching the race.

“I noticed Tucker ran slower than normal,” said teammate Eric Hacker. “I heard many parents who have watched him over the years say that it seemed like he was running in slow-motion.”

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Tucker’s mom Jamie Fry Markko was also concerned. She was watching the race and taking split times and knew something was up. While she wasn’t panicked, she was concerned and thought it was “more than a bad race.”

In typical Markko fashion, Tucker shrugged the 4x800 meter relay off and competed in the 4x400 meter relay. During the race the pain got progressively worse and it was hard for Markko to move. He collapsed at the finish line and didn’t run a cool down due to the discomfort.

“After the 4x400 meter relay he looked bad,” said Jamie. “One boy even said that this wasn’t the Tucker they were used to running against.”

Tucker knew something wasn’t right. 

“It felt like something was sitting on my chest,” said Tucker.  “I thought it was my heart or a rib issue. I didn’t want to make excuses though and didn’t say anything to coach right away.”

When Tucker talked to Unioto cross country and track and field coach Matt Paxton, he thought it was the pollen. Tucker complained he wasn’t breathing well and Paxton thought it was allergies because he had a history of that and a lot of kids were complaining about that. However, he encouraged Tucker that if he thought something was wrong that he needed to get it checked out.

Tucker wasn’t really acting differently or had anything that seemed to scream that there was a major medical issue, according to Paxton.

Paxton, a coach with over 20 years of experience, was shocked when he eventually learned about Tucker’s lung. Paxton had not had a runner with this issue until this year. Earlier in the year, he had another star runner Jaden Watkins suffer from a collapsed lung and now Tucker was out because of the condition. 

“I haven’t seen one,” said Paxton. “I have known one other athlete in the SVC in the last 20 years, a distance kid. It’s not something that happens.”

After returning home late that night, Tucker talked with his mom Jamie, who was extremely worried.

“I think it was straight up mother’s intuition,” said Jamie. “I do not think it is a fantasy. It comes from knowing your kid really, really well and knowing he is not a whiner or a complainer. He is as tough as they come. Tucker knows stress and it doesn’t cause pain for that long.”

One of the first things that Tucker and his mom talked about was teammate Jaden Watkins, who had a partial lung collapse during the winter season, and what had happened with him.

“I started questioning Tucker about what happened to Jaden right away,” said Jamie. “I worried all night about it.”

The next morning Tucker still had some pain and he and his mom agreed that he should see a doctor. They did some tests and an x-ray of his lung was taken. They had the chest x-ray before Tucker’s practice and still tried to convince themselves that it was still very minor.

Jamie would get the results and raced to Great Seal to try and beat Tucker to practice. Jamie talked to coach Paxton and Tucker and he went straight to the emergency room and the procedure to inflate his lung began shortly after they arrived to the hospital.

“They started the procedure 10 minutes after we arrived to inflate his lungs,” said Jamie. “They were fully prepared to do it.”

However, the next day, another surgery was ordered. Throughout the entire ordeal, Tucker’s left lung had eighty to ninety percent collapsed.

“I was really disappointed when I realized I was not going to state,” said Tucker. “I wanted that fifth chip and knew right away I wasn’t finishing the season, but at least I lived.”

A spontaneous pneumothorax, or what is commonly known as a collapsed lung, can occur to healthy, tall, white, thin, young males between the ages of 15 and 30.

“Tucker was a typical textbook example,” according to Tucker’s doctor Kevin Radecki, MD, from Adena Regional Medical Center. Radecki, specializes in thoracic surgery and has been with the hospital since December 2018.

No one really knows what causes a collapsed lung to an otherwise healthy athlete. What they speculate is during a growth spurt, an area of the lung weakens and blebs form. The blebs, like a balloon with too much air, can pop with chest pains and shortness of breath that effects the victim. A chest x-ray shows that the lung has collapsed.

A collapsed lung is very rare according to Dr. Radecki. “The epidemiology is 7.4 patients per 100 thousand would have this happened to themselves.”

To correct the issue, a chest tube is sometimes inserted to expand the lungs. However, when the lung is collapsed 80-90 percent, surgery is recommended with three one-inch incisions and a look inside the chest with a small camera and see the blebs on the lung. The blebs are stapled off with healthy tissue, so they don’t pop.

“If a lung collapses 20 percent and treated only with a chest tube, there is a 30 percent chance it will recur in about a year,” said Radecki. “If it happens a second time, an operation is always recommended because recurrence a third time can go to 70 percent and with the operation done the recurrence goes to four percent.”

Some people decide to have the surgery depending on what their future plans are. If someone like Tucker wants to run in college or go in the military, surgery is recommended and can be required.

A collapsed lung is not caused by an athlete working too hard or going through extreme workouts with coaches pushing them too hard, according to Radecki.

“A collapsed lung is like an appendicitis,” said Radecki, who has seen about one patient a month with a collapsed lung for the past 25 years. “Sometimes bad things just happen to nice people.”

Teammates were also worried about what others thought had caused Tucker’s lung to collapse.

“A lot of people thought it could have been coach Paxton, even though it wasn’t,” said teammate Eric Hacker. “Since it happened to two of his runners.”

While Tucker will be down for a couple weeks, he will start running and get into his normal routine if everything checks out. “He will bounce back really quickly,” said Radecki.

While Tucker graduated Unioto as one of the most successful local athletes, his strength comes from a family of successful runners and athletes.

Tucker’s parents were both exceptional athletes. His mother Jamie Fry Markko played field hockey at the University of Michigan and after graduating needed something to take its place. After college and field hockey was over, Jamie started running in 10K races, marathons, and triathlons and their father Chris has run several marathons as well.

“I encouraged my children to run,” said Jamie. “I saw it more as a lifetime passion because I found it hard to find a field hockey game as an adult.”

Jamie and Tucker’s father Chris Markko had a mutual interest in running.

“The truth is that is how he and I bonded, was over running,” said Jamie. “He is a little bit older then I am, so he finished doing marathons when I was starting and was really good at running.”

Running has always been a part of their family life.

“You can always run,” said Jamie. “It is so much fun as a sport and became a passion for us. Every athlete participates and wins by making themselves better.”

While initially home schooled, at the age of 14 Tucker’s older brother Logan Markko started running for Paint Valley. The whole group went to practice every day and every place they went, everyone went and when the kids all went running then the rest of the kids followed them. One by one, Tucker’s older siblings Riley, Kolby, and Bailey all started running.

“We (all of Tucker’s family) have the same values,” said Tucker. “We are tough, competitive, and work hard.”

Tucker’s older sister Kolby was also a cross country runner at Paint Valley and has many fond memories of the family runs.

“When the boys were younger, we would run and when Turner was four years old he wasn’t coming yet and we would run up on the neighbor road called McDonald’s Hill,” said Kolby. “When Turner wanted to come with us, he came with us and ran to the top. When we came home, Turner asked where his McDonalds was because he thought we went to get hamburgers because of the name of the road.”

Tucker’s younger brothers Cater and Turner agree that they feel some pressure as the youngest siblings. Not only do Cater and Turner race against their teammates and competitors, but they also race against their older brother’s time to try and beat them.

While being competitive, however, the boys are very supportive of one another and know that with each sibling leaving, it shows what the next sibling is capable of.

“Tucker leaving will either kill me or help me step up,” said Cater.

As the kids got older, running became more and more important to them.

“The best thing about training is that it has brought our family together,” said Tucker. “Since we have been doing it for so long and travel and train hours and hours together, we get more family time then another family would, and we do that basically all year round. It has kept our family tight for years. She (Jamie) loves watching us and we love to compete and one of the biggest parts of our family because we can relate to it.”

While the state track meet is no longer an option for Tucker, he still remains active in running and supports his teammates. Just a few days after having surgery, Tucker, temporarily wheelchair bound, arrived during the Division II district tournament finals to show his support. He has been to numerous practices and regionals to support the team and plans on going to state to cheer on teammate Eric Hacker and Jaden Watkins.

“Many people look up to Tucker and him just being at practices really lifts their spirits and encourages us to run our best,” said Hacker.

Tucker’s teammates also remained supportive after they found out about his condition. His friends and fellow runners visited in the hospital and Hacker and Watkins sat with Tucker before he left for the hospital.

“Tucker was clearly upset before he left for the hospital and, before leaving, Jaden and I sat down with him and tried to comfort him and said that we would run for him,” said Hacker.

Tucker's influence on the program is something that will not be forgotten, according to Paxton.

“This kid means a lot to this program,” said Paxton. “He is one of our senior leaders and returning all-Ohio athlete. He has been their leader pretty much all year setting a good example and a good role model.”

During the summer, Tucker plans to run just as hard as he has ever done and, in the fall, still plans on running for Malone University.

“It puts it all in perspective for me. It made me realize what I have," said Tucker. "Before this, I took it for granted that I would be there and make it to state. You can run 15 miles one day and then the next day you sit in the hospital and they say you can't run for a month.”

While it is bittersweet for Jamie as her son leaves for college, she is glad that Tucker is still optimistic about his future.

“I am grateful he is going to Malone,” said Jamie. “They have a great program and know he is going to be successful there. It is kind of like a mulligan for Tucker.”

For more features on local spring athletes:

Southeastern track and field's Lane Ruby looks to dash and jump his way to state

Zane Trace's Chad Ison looks to lead Zane Trace to tourney run before going to CCU

Chillicothe's J'Quan Harris using blazing speed to juggle baseball, track and field

Unioto High School baseball using twin power to find success this season

Abbey Mohan looks for success in final track season after committing to Morehead State