one of the most popular tests of human
endurance is the marathon globally over
800 marathons are held every year all of
them over 26 miles long attracting
professional athletes and amateur
runners alike but exactly what are you
willingly putting yourself through when
you sign up to a race this is unveiled
and today we're answering the
extraordinary question what happens to
your body during a marathon are you a
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content the modern marathon dates back
to 1896 when the first modern Olympic
Games were held in Athens Greece the
event was inspired by the myth of fate
if ities the messenger who ran all the
way from Marathon Beach back to Athens
to bring news of the Greek victory
against the Persians in around 490 BC
over 2,500 years ago
the distance between Athens and marathon
was actually around 25 miles and the
earliest Olympic marathons differed
slightly in length but from the 1924
games onward the marathon has always
been 26.2 miles that's just over 42
kilometers initially conceived as a big
flagship event for the rebranded
Olympics marathons have appeared at
every iteration of the modern games
they're also annually held at hundreds
of locations all around the world some
of the biggest include those at New York
Paris Tokyo and London which all attract
tens of thousands of participants and
just as many spectators away from the
major cities you might opt to run
slightly more obscure races like the
Great Wall marathon in China the et full
moon marathon close to area 51 or the
North Pole marathon across 12 the North
Pole but just because lots of people do
them doesn't mean they're easy far from
it
marathons are incredibly taxing and
almost all advice says that if you don't
train properly for weeks and months
beforehand you could be putting yourself
at serious physical risk just by taking
part that's because of all the
remarkable things your body has to do to
get you through the race it's one of the
first things to happen which continues
for the duration of the run is that your
heart rate and body temperature
increases your heart rate can jump to as
high as 140 beats per minute or more
much higher than the average BPM of an
adult at rest which is between 60 and
100 professional athletes trained to
have a
heart rate but even there is also going
to get a big boost as their heart works
overtime on race day
meanwhile body temperatures also
inevitably rise sometimes to as high as
103 degrees Fahrenheit the same as you
might experience during a severe fever
this is one reason why runners use mylar
blankets those shiny foil sheets at the
end of a run if they don't they run the
risk of developing hypothermia as their
bodies drastically cool the condition
you're perhaps most at risk of while
running a marathon however is
dehydration simply because of the sheer
exertion you're putting yourself through
luckily this is also one of the easiest
things to avoid as long as you make sure
you're drinking enough water throughout
the race but even so it is relatively
common for runners to suffer kidney
problems kidney injuries will likely
clear up eventually but it's important
that runners are aware of the issues
that can happen and hydrate themselves
appropriately equally though your sodium
levels can also drop during an
hours-long race and sometimes severely
this is called hyponatremia and can be
caused by drinking too much it's
important to maintain a balance another
thing you could well run low on is sugar
sugar is so vital to runners as an
energy source that you can buy special
soluble sugar products just for exercise
like this to make sure they have enough
energy to start with runners stock up on
carbohydrates for two to three days
before the race and then use sugar often
in the form of energy gels to get them
through the day if you don't do this
you're at risk of hypoglycemia or low
blood sugar which can cause you to faint
or throw up and leaves you much more
likely to hit the infamous runner's wall
which happens when your body runs out of
fuel and starts burning fat for energy
tactically speaking you can also avoid
the wall by saving most of your energy
for the final push with the excitement
and adrenaline of the start line it can
be difficult not to go off too quickly
but most coaches and experts agree that
it pays to start steady we will get to
the benefits of marathon running shortly
there are plenty but finally there's the
risk of plain and simple injury one of
the most common and well-known injuries
that runners experienced is that their
toenails can fall off but just in
general
running this distance means putting your
feet through a lot something as simple
as a blister could ruin your entire race
which is why most runners take a lot of
time choosing their Footwear getting the
right shoes soles and socks for them
running 26 miles on a blood blister is
no one's idea of fun then even the best
athletes are at some risk of a break or
sprained your bones muscles tendons and
ligaments are after all being made to
work very hard some pro runners after
years of developing minor injuries to
their skeletons and soft tissues suffer
aches and pains in later life meanwhile
because your body gets so busy trying to
heal and cope with the exertion of what
you're doing almost anyone who runs a
marathon could be briefly compromising
their immune system meaning you're
slightly more likely to catch a cold
after the race another reason for those
mylar blankets but of course marathons
like all exercise are generally hugely
beneficial to people who run them the
long training period helps many runners
get in the best shape they've ever been
in and some studies report that running
a marathon can even add years to your
life
by reversing the aging of blood vessels
if you're careful and well prepared
running a marathon could be one of the
best decisions you ever make and few
people who do it will ever come to
regret it
marathons can increase the health of
your heart and cardiovascular system
they can strengthen your bones and
muscles they can help you lose weight if
that's one of your goals and if nothing
else they'll give you a big boost of
endorphins and a sense of achievement
like no other the runner's high is a
very real thing and while scientists
disagree on exactly what causes this
post workout or sometimes mid workout
euphoria it basically amounts to
chemicals and hormones in your brain and
body that make you feel good some
runners even report that any pain
involved in completing a race feels like
good paint like something that isn't
detrimental to themselves it's feelings
like this which keep runners going for
all 26 miles and which motivate amateur
runners to do marathons for fun in
general if you complete the marathon
you'll likely end it healthier and
happier than when you started
although that's not to say that the
recovery period is enjoyable more often
than not it isn't first there's the
issue of sleep you might think that in
your post marathon exhaustion you'd be
able to sleep for days but that's not
always the case throughout the race your
adrenaline is pumping and the stress
hormone cortisol races through your
system all day even hours after you
cross the finish line which is why so
many marathoners report a sleepless
night straight afterwards
despite being more fatigued than you
probably ever been it's
expected for you to be tossing and
turning as your hormone levels return to
normal so don't beat yourself up if
you're not able to pass out as soon as
your head hits the pillow once you do
get to sleep though and to wake the next
morning don't expect to spring out of
bed ready to do it all again if the
marathon itself was painful the next few
days might be even worse now you have
Dom's to contend with
that's delayed onset muscle soreness
Dom's happens - more or less
everybody after a strenuous workout it's
the stiffening of joints the achiness of
muscles and the general difficulty to
move with any speed all while your body
sets about repairing and pre energizing
itself
Dom's can take up to a week to go away
but it doesn't mean you've done anything
wrong it's a completely normal part of
the post marathon process and just means
you should take extra care you might
even want to schedule a day or two off
work even veteran runners need to take
it easy after a big race so there's
really no over-exaggerating the
importance of letting yourself rest
drink lots of water
eat well and closely monitor how you
feel and you'll be talking yourself into
signing up for another race before you
know it it's estimated that just 25% of
the u.s. population will run a marathon
at some point in their lives it's a
similar statistic for most of the rest
of the world marathon runners are a rare
breed and whether you're healthy now but
need a challenge or want to use it as a
way to get in shape running 26.2 miles
at least once in your life is almost
always going to be a beneficial
experience even if it does take a lot of
work and pain and that's what happens to
your body during a marathon what do you
think is there anything we missed
let us know in the comments check out
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