Are Ultramarathons Bad For the Health?

Ultramarathons or 26.2-mile runs have become popular throughout the course of time, with runners pushing themselves to the limit. However, a new study seeks to find out whether or not this activity is really good for the health or poses risks to individuals.

The new study published in the journal PLOS ONE explores the health of ultramarathoners and tried to find out whether or not the extreme sport carries any dangerous consequences. Lead study author, Dr. Marty Hoffman is familiar with the sport. He logged his first 50-mile race in 1985 and has gone to complete numerous ultramarathons over the years including ten 100-mile races.

"The real key here is figuring out whether there's an upper limit for the valuable effects from exercise." We know that moderate exercise has considerable health benefits, so then the question is, what happens if you go beyond that?" For this study, Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Eswar Krishnan, an assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine employed 1,200 ultrarunners to participate in an online questionnaire about their running history, training habits, general health and any running injuries incurred over the past 12 months.

They found out that at a glance, ultramarathoners appear generally healthy, reporting very few health problems and illnesses throughout the year-long study. "These people are generally healthy," said Krishnan. "If you already have heart failure or other medical issues, you wouldn't be ultramarathon-running." However, the study authors also confirmed the possibility that ultramarathoners may have already developed a certain level of mental toughness from all the years they've been involved in the sport, thus making it more difficult for them to admit to illness.

"It may have to do with mentality, endurance. People who like to take a day off at the slightest sign of a medical issue versus people who can put up with a lot of stuff, that needs to be factored in," Krishnan said.