It takes a brave organisation to get in touch with the editor of a running news website to let them know that taking part in a marathon can actually make you ill. Step forward scientists from the University of Birmingham.
Having only achieved a grade C in GCSE double science, it took a few back and forths with a very patient media officer before I truly understood what Team Science was trying to say. In short, marathon runners have a 20% higher risk of suffering from a upper respiratory tract infection (or URTI for those in the know) after taking part in a race.
Is running a marathon really that bad for you?
According to the International Institute of Race Medicine less than 1% of the world’s population can complete a marathon. To be able to run a marathon is no mean feat and if you can, you are clearly a fit and strong person. The training itself will put you at a level of fitness that not many others can achieve.
The research from the University of Birmingham is not saying that marathon runners are not fit and healthy, it is a bit more complex than that.
Marathon running affects your immune system
In the immediate aftermath of running a marathon your immune system momentarily dips. This is to be expected as your body tries desperately to recover from such a draining and challenging achievement. The immunity dip is the first red flag for the reason why marathon runners have a 20% higher chance of getting a UTRI.
Whilst your body is fighting to recover from 26.2 miles of running, concentrating on muscle preservation and repair it leaves you open to wider risks. This is where lurgy’s can pop up and cause you to get ill.
Running in groups of dirty friends is not helping the cause
This is the icky bit that we never really thought about. The scientists from the University of Birmingham rather politely phrased it as lower hygiene levels. This is what got us thinking. What could this actually mean. And then the penny dropped.
I know from my own experience that you never really know when you are going to need the toilet when out on run. I have had to suffer the indignity of “having a countryman” in a farmers field, whilst a running buddy waits nearby, jogging on the spot, ignoring the hand flailing round looking for thick dock leaves.
Let’s just say that normal toilet cleanliness habits are maybe a bit lacking when you go on a run compared the pampering that comes with a home toilet visit. Germs are a lurking and in a group environment, especially during the post marathon hugging and tears, these are passed around at a time when your immune system is in no way able to fight them off.
It’s not all bad news – Marathon running helps you recover from URTI’s faster than non-runners
Before you fling your Asics into a skip and vow to never set foot near a marathon race again, fear not, it is not all bad news. As we said at the start, being in the 1% of the world’s population that is actually able to complete a marathon comes with some added benefits.
Not only do you build up a set of tin-coated plastic “completer” medals that can be hung with pride for all visitors to see, but it also means you are actually very fit. Being very fit, as we all know, is not just great for finding a new partner, but is actually handy when it comes to recovery times from illness.
The marathon running may cause you to get a URTI but your marathon training will make sure that you recover from it, more often than not, faster than your none running mates.
What the scientist from the University of Birmingham actually said
For those who want to hear more about the science behind the study, rather than my own slightly left-field analysis, this is what Dr Amanda Sardell, Research Fellow at the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, and lead author of the paper said:
“This is the first consensus to confirm that this special type of competition that combines high intensity with very long volume of exercise leads to higher risk of upper respiratory infection. Contrary to expectations younger individuals have higher chance to get an infection than older runners, which might be due to their experience with training progression and discipline to follow a strict schedule and diet for example.
“It is still debatable if the exposure to crowds in this type of competition is the real problem, since in other studies the same higher risk of infection in athletes during crowded competitions can be seen in the non-athletes staff members. In fact, the stronger candidate to explain this phenomenon is the energy depletion that occurs during the marathon and is well known to affect immune functions.
“Furthermore, the present study combined results of old races and specialists believe that, nowadays, the athletes have more information about the importance of carbohydrate supplementation and usually replace the energetic needs before, during and after the race, reducing the impact to the immune system. “Exercise is clearly an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle and other research points to its beneficial effect for immune regulation. This study does highlight that strenuous exercise can have a detrimental impact on our bodies and athletes need to take care and be aware of the impact that a marathon is likely to have on their immune system.”
And in case you are still sceptical, the University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 academic institutions.
