How training for a marathon boosts heart health, especially the first time and for people who are older and slower

A recent study of first-time marathon runners found aortic artery stiffness reductions that were equivalent to a four-year reduction in vascular age

Participants ran between 10km and 21km (6.2 miles and 13 miles) on average per week while training

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Marathon running may be the answer to good heart health, as a recent study suggests it decreases stiffness of the aortic vessel, which moves blood throughout our body. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:00am, 5 Mar 2020Updated: 1:40pm, 26 May 2020

Organisers are cancelling or postponing sporting events in Asia and the rest of the world as the coronavirus outbreak continues its march. Still, if you are not yet among the growing ranks of road runners, now may be the best time to kick off your own marathon training plan.

Running a 42.19km (26.2-mile) race may sound overwhelming, but it could be the key to better health. In a recent study, first-time marathon runners significantly improved their cardiovascular health in training for the event. What’s more, older and slower runners appear to benefit the most.

“This study showed participants had improvements in overall cardiovascular health, but particularly related to the stiffness of the aortic vessel,” says Dr Sara Filmalter, a sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in the US state of Minnesota.

“As we age, the body’s vessels become stiffer. But we don’t want stiff vessels, because that can be detrimental to our health since our body has to work harder to pump blood.”

Sara Filmalter is a sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in Minnesota.

In addition to runners having a substantial decrease in the stiffness of the aortic vessel, which moves blood throughout our body, the study found marathon training improved blood pressure.

Each of the 138 runners in the study, first-time marathon runners aged 21 to 69 years, received a scan six months before the training and three weeks after they finished either the 2016 or 2017 London Marathon. Researchers found aortic artery stiffness reductions that were equivalent to a four-year reduction in vascular age.