14 DAY TRIAL // This coming Sunday, April 26, thousands of people will put on their running shoes and compete in the 35th London Marathon, which will see (most of) them cover a distance of precisely 26.2 miles (a little over 42 kilometers).
In anticipation of this event, medical experts decided that it might not be such a bad idea to take the time to highlight what happens to your average Joe's and Jane's body when they run a marathon, just so that Sunday's runners will know what to expect.
Running a marathon makes people shrink
Specialist Agim Beshiri of healthcare company Abbott says that, when running a marathon, the average person loses about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) in height. This happens because the vertebrae that form their spine compress.
Besides, the intense and prolonged physical activity forces the body to produce about 3 to 6 liters of sweat to cool off. Coupled with the high energy expenditure, this translates into a drop in body mass of about 2 to 3 pounds (roughly 1 to 1.4 kilograms).
As for the strain on the heart and on the circulatory system, specialist Agim Beshiri says that, during a marathon, the body triples the rate at which blood is pumped to organs and muscles. Otherwise, people simply couldn't keep going.
In the end, all these abuses are well worth it
Some might argue that knowingly and willingly pushing the body into overdrive just to take part in a race doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone want to do this to themselves?
Well, medical experts say that, although fairly stressful for the body, marathons are actually well worth it. The vertebrae in the spine bounce back after one day, solving the height loss conundrum, and the heart and muscle don't mind the effort.
“During a marathon and other high intensity, endurance sports the body goes through intense conditions. But, with the appropriate conditioning and training, the body manages to adapt and rise to the challenge,” said Agim Beshiri, as cited by DM.
In fact, studies have shown that, following a marathon, most people experience an improvement in their mental abilities, especially their memory.