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Reasons to reconsider preparing and running a marathon due to the long-term health risks that scientific research is beginning to uncover and medical professionals are increasingly warning their patients about. The dangers to cancer patients or those in remission is especially worrisome!
Have you ever noticed that marathon runners in the Olympics look overly thin and in some cases, even weak?
Have you ever wondered why marathons are considered beneficial in our society yet the first person that ever ran one collapsed and died immediately after?
Yeah, and Pheidippides was fit too, likely selected for his job as a herald due to his speed and distance running ability. He was not some ancient Greek version of the modern couch potato.
While life may be a marathon your training program should not be. Running a half or whole marathon or competing in a triathlon are all admirable goals. But there are many dangers associated with excessive endurance training.
Dating as far back as the 1970s, the misconception of mainstream training philosophies that 45 minutes to an hour or more a day of intense aerobic activity has led to an overtrained, unfit, immune-compromised exercising population.
Humans were not designed for movement at a chronically sustained high-intensity aerobic pace.
We’ve all seen it in the local gym–day in and day out, week after week Jane and John plod away on the treadmills and ellipticals or pedal themselves into exhaustion in spin classes. It has done nothing to shed the extra fat on their butts and guts let alone tone them. I have never been impressed by any of these results.
13 Health Risks from Marathon Running
What exactly are the problems caused by training for long periods of time at high intensities such as what occurs when preparing/running a marathon?
Even if you take care to eat plenty of clean grassfed collagen and regularly take natural sources of Vitamins A/D and K2 to keep the bones and joints strong, many things can, in fact, start to break down from the continued punishment. This is particularly the case if you are over 30 . . . (1-5)
- Debilitating osteoarthritis . . . at a young age
- Permanent scarring of the heart muscle
- A weakening of the thyroid and adrenal glands
- Tendonitis and other repetitive strain injuries
- Recurrent upper respiratory infections
- Permanently damaged feet (my chiropractor says long-distance runners have some of the worst feet he’s ever seen)
- Increased oxidative damage (free radical production)
- Decreased fat metabolism
- Susceptibility to injury
- Loss of bone density
- Depletion of lean muscle tissue
- Hormone imbalances that are difficult to rectify (women)
- High refined carbohydrate intake promotes a dangerous level of continuous systemic inflammation.
Heart Surgeon Stops Doing Marathons
Dr. Peter McCullough, chief of cardiovascular research at Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute in Dallas, has completed 54 marathons, one in every state. But he stopped running marathons after examining research showing the potential dangers. He said:
I thought there was enough evidence that I wasn’t willing to pay the ultimate price.
I’m convinced that to go grind it out for hours on end at a steady pace is the wrong thing. Some experts are divided about this, and the concern is that it could dissuade some people from exercising, but we just can’t bury our heads about it. (2)
If you still are doubtful about the health risks from marathon running, consider how frequently one or more people die running them during competition. Even the very young are not immune. In 2019, a fit, healthy 22-year-old woman who played soccer for a nearby university died near the finish line of the Cleveland marathon. (6)
Excessive Cardio and Chronic Inflammation
The sad part of stories like this is that the intentions are good. They are doing this all in the name of “health”. They are certainly not out to destroy it.
Aside from the dangers mentioned above, why is high-intensity aerobic pursuit such a dead end?
One reason is the high level of carbohydrates consumed needed to sustain this activity leads to chronic inflammation.
You’ve probably seen it. Sally and Johnny are running a 5K so they load up on a big bowl of pasta the night before the big race. Then, they chow down on bagels and juice immediately after their 36 min run. A cascade of systemic inflammation follows.
More Running is NOT Better
Research presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Washington showed a shocking finding that should give every marathoner pause.
Runners who average more than 20 miles a week don’t live as long as those who run less than 20 miles a week.
On average, those running more than 20 miles a week live about the same as people who don’t run much at all. (7)
Cancer Patients Particularly at Risk
Even worse are people in cancer remission logging mile after mile thinking it is going to keep cancer from returning. More often than not, it returns with a vengeance with a more dire prognosis than before.
Why? All the free radicals flooding their already weakened system from overexercising on a usually low-fat diet.
Folks with cancer courageously yet misguidedly doing half marathons and marathons are literally running themselves right into the grave.
Simply put, humans are not designed to exercise like this! We have 2 primary energy systems to power our muscles. The first relies on the slow-burning of fats keeping us fueled while at rest yet allowing for a continuous low-level aerobic activity such as walking, gardening, and day-to-day physical tasks. Fat is a very efficient fuel, stored and burned easily and cleanly when lots of oxygen is present.
Our second primary energy system that evolved is an ATP-fueled system that allows us to do intense loads of work in shorts bursts. It is our high octane fuel. Think of the woman that lifts a car off her child trapped beneath it. Or the person that sprints after a mugger to get their wallet back. In other words all-out effort for fewer than 20 seconds; flight or fight and life or death tasks and situations.
Our energy systems are far more complex than that but it boils to the fact that we were evolved to either move slowly and steadily or briefly and fast. We become both healthier and stronger by exercising and living in this manner.
Are Half-Marathons or Triathlons Dangerous?
All things being said, there are still people out there that want to run a half marathon or triathlon. Even at these shorter distances, they still need to be careful. (3)
The good news is that there is a better and smarter way to train for an endurance event while avoiding the negative risks mentioned above.
The days of logging mileage in excess of 20+ a week have become outdated and misinformed.
And so is the weak and skinny appearance of the stereotypical endurance athlete!
Combine Strength and Conditioning with Interval-based Training
Many are finding that by incorporating strength and conditioning workouts into their training routine along with shorter more interval-based training they are improving speed, power, and overall performance. This approach also reduces injury potential. Not to mention having a lot more free time, less pain and, quicker recovery, and no long-term scarring/damage to the heart.
This has been hotly debated but well documented in the past several years. Leading the pack in the defense is CrossFit Endurance’s, Brian MacKenzie. His training has many top-level endurance athletes setting personal records far beyond past efforts with a dramatic reduction in training time and mileage.
Fitness can and should be achieved without the need for pounding the pavement for miles on end, a huge daily time commitment, and a long list of extreme risks to health both short and long term.
References
(1) Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects from Excessive Cardiovascular Endurance Exercise
(2) Is Long-Distance Running Good for the Heart?
(3) Triathletes May Be Putting Their Heart at Risk
(4) Marathon Running Can Scar the Heart
(5) Exercise and Your Health (Myths about Exercise)
(6) 22-Year-Old Woman Dies During Cleveland Marathon
(7) More Running May Not Help You Live Any Longer
People can drop dead during most any activity, I don’t think marathon running causes death. People have heart attacks just sitting on the couch, or driving to work, or playing golf.
I just ran my first marathon this year. I have run several half marathons and 25ks. I am not skinny and I do not look emaciated on any part of my body. I cross train and get regular chiropractic adjustments and I have been injury free. I feel strong physically and mentally when I run regularly. I have not had a cold or flu in many years. I am one of the few runners I know who fuels with high protein and quality fat before and after a run. Unless I’m running for more than 1.5 hours, I rarely need more than plain water and/or coconut water. I stay away from all the sports drinks and artificial stuff.
Body type is going to determine whether you are skinny running marathons. Some folks will never be skinny no matter what. It is very telling that marathoners at the top of their game look horrible and emaciated. Folks who don’t have this body type could never compete in marathons at the highest levels.
Look at other sports that are interval training based rather than endurance training.
Tennis, soccer, short sprints and medium distance runs .. these people look AMAZING at the top of their profession.
I’d have to agree with the article, in my opinion. Of course, that the marathoners coming to the defense of their sport doesn’t surprise me at all, and they have the right to their opinion (even if they have a “don’t confuse me with the fact” attitude). Well, 2 days ago, at the Chicago marathon, another sad death. Typical comment is- Oh , he must have had an “undiagnosed” condition. That’s almost always the response to these type of deaths. The other response might be, well he/she hasn’t trained enough. Well folks, I’d guess that it’s not an undiagnosed condition, AND, in fact, that those that train very heavily are probably in even worse shape- BECAUSE it’s the CHRONIC inflammation of continous training, possibly coupled with the fact of trying to beat your best time, that causes the death on the actual day of the marathon. Relatives of the dead marathoners seem to frequently say- “he/she was in the best shape of their life”… Oh really, how can you be in the best shape of your life and dead at the same time? It’s an INCORRECT assumption, that just because someone can run for a long while without stopping, they are in great shape. All it means is that they’ve trained their body to run for a long while…you can’t assume anything else other than this.
You are absolutely correct My husband is a Sports Nutritionist and endurance athlete coach (cycling & track and field). He believes that nutrition is very important for endurance athletes. Many of these types of athletes read the literature and eat diets that are high in processed carbohydrates. Although these diets work to replenish depleted glycogen storage. They do very little to compensate for the catabolic nature of the oxidative energy system that breaks down fat and muscle proteins for conversion to glucose and subsequently ATP. Furthermore, the body will release cortisol as product of the training stress that breaks down muscle and converts it to glucose in the liver. This is why endurance athletes require high amounts of protein and fat in their diet. Unfortunately most are missing it.
Sarah,
Would you share what you do for regular exercise. I think you look amazing! Thin, but not too skinny. Thanks!
Walking, gardening, yard work, biking (bike hard then coast or pedal lightly/rest, repeat … NOT endurance biking which is the same problem as marathons) yoga (push hard then rest then push hard then rest to mimic interval training).
Thanks Sarah,
I think if we would stay busy doing all these daily type activities we would have less weight problems. I am really trying to do this. I will also add the push hard, rest and see what happens. Personally, I can’t exercise to the point of exhaustion anyway. I would be in bed for 2 days. 20 yrs ago I got an autoimmune disease that affected my joints and lost my kidneys 13 yrs ago from it..I agree that too much hard and long exercise (marathon running)can be risky.. So glad I have found the real food “way” of eating. I feel so much better. My joint problems are better. No doubt I caused my problem by the way I ate yrs ago.. the SAD diet. Thanks Sarah so much for helping me with the videos and info you provide.
Hi Teresa, sounds like you are on the right path. Be patient with yourself as a SAD diet for years can take some time to recover from.
Have you seen ultramarathon runners? They’re not emaciated in the least for the most part! They’re often quite sturdy-looking … and they *far* exceed the measly *26.2* of a marathoner. (As a note, I recently began my running journey a few months ago. I’ve completed two 5Ks and was working towards a 10K. I don’t think marathon runners are Weenies 😉 ). I think a method of running is also important. There is a method called the Galloway method (formulated by Jeff Galloway) that is based on run-walk-run, inserting walking breaks into a run to keep you fresh. This bit of rest makes a lot of sense I think.
I’ve run several marathons, and done 6 Ironman triathlons – I am far from emaciated, very muscular, and never had health problems from participating in any of them. My doctors credited those activities with my drastic improvement in asthma as well – from very medication dependent with lots of asthma attacks to virtually med free and a much higher lung capacity than normal, let alone normal for an asthmatic. I’ve enjoyed many of your posts, but I’d have to disagree with this one as well.
Not to mention how wrinkled long distance runners get! Their faces drop from all the force of gravity as they run. This compounded with their typical lowfat, high carb diet makes for a very very wrinkled complexion.
Hahahahahahha (*inhale*) ahahahhahahaha….. My Dad has run 8 marathons, 2 over the age of 50 (and respectable times to including qualifying for and running in Boston) and I can definitely tell you he looks great and healthy, he also doesn’t carbo load and it would be quite interesting to see the stats on Type 2 Diabetes in marathon runners. *eye roll*
There will always be people who take things to the extreme in ANY case such as those Olympians who look like they could use a hamburger (or five). Is ice skating dangerous? You could be beaten in the legs by a hit man!
What about all the marathon runners that drop dead? Every marathon it seems, at least 1 person dies and several go to the hospital. Many also have permanent scarring to the heart muscle which you couldn’t tell by looking at someone. I seem to remember Mercola had an article on this recently how the heart muscle is permanently scarred by endurance training.
What about all those people who drop dead from sitting on their ass? (!!) People die or have serious injuries because they didn’t train properly or pushed themselves too hard not because of the magical 26.2 miles that they want to run. In this day and age I cannot *believe* someone would be discouraging people from a form of physical activity that CAN be safe and healthy. I just wonder if you have a hat somewhere with a bunch of ideas that 95% of the population things are good things… then draw out of it and set out to prove everyone that they are wrong are you are right. Too hot for me, gotta get out of this kitchen!
Please read the entire post as it doesn’t discourage running. Please see Paul’s comment below which hits the nail on the head.
By the way, plenty of well trained, well coached marathoners drop dead (at young ages too like in their 40’s and 50’s) after running for years with seemingly no problem. Just because most people believe something to be true doesn’t make it true. I like how Paula dismantles the marathon sacred cow in this post. People need to realize that this type of exercise is dangerous and not healthy for the long haul.
But you know…lots of NON-marathoners also drop dead at young ages… Sometimes people just die.
I actually don’t see too much wrong with training and running a Marathon. What does disturb me intensely is the people who run one or two a month… to collect a medal. I mean really….we are adults here. They don’t train well, and put themselves at fairly big risks to their health, all for a shiney piece of metal?
Now. I’m a runner, a Marathon runner, and soon to be an Ultra Marathon runner…But you wont find me running 50 miles every day…
Just one of many examples .. one of those who dropped dead was a man who had completed 50 marathons. Only 65 years old but obviously what he was doing was not helping his health:
http://www.newser.com/story/72003/3-runners-drop-dead-in-detroit-marathon.html
I don’t think ancient humans would have run continuously for 25 miles tracking prey. It would have been a run/rest/run type of thing which is very healthy form of exercise.
agreed. not to mention ancient humans were much more muscular and stocky in bone construction so they had very powerful bursts of motion and power.
No it would not be. The human body is made to run efficiently, walking would be a waste of energy. After about 8 km/hr it becomes more and more energy efficient to run than to walk. Not to mention the forces exerted on your body from the acceleration and deceleration of the interval training you theorize would create much more impact forces on your body vice a steady trot which in the long run.
I realize running marathons often are compared with long-distance hunting of animals but from what of seen of animals stalking their prey it’s not usually a continuous trot/run. It’s probably closer to interval training with speed variations and occasional breaks.
Exactly.
I like Ms. LeBaron’s points & take it into consideration.
I remember that with 2 of my births, I actually snoozed in between contractions a couple of times.
Hi Sarah,
Was giving birth very easy since eating a very healthy diet for quite some time?