Do marathon runners' hearts get hurt?
Effects of Long-Term Endurance Exercise on Cardiac Morphology, Function, and Injury Indicators among Amateur Marathon Runners
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
NT-proBNP didn’t rise at all — even in beginners — despite clear troponin spikes.
NT-proBNP is widely used in hospitals to detect heart strain. The fact it didn’t budge in marathon runners contradicts assumptions that it’s a reliable marker for exercise-induced stress.
Practical Takeaways
If you're training for your first marathon, don't panic if you feel tired or your blood test shows elevated troponin — it's normal. Focus on recovery, not fear.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
NT-proBNP didn’t rise at all — even in beginners — despite clear troponin spikes.
NT-proBNP is widely used in hospitals to detect heart strain. The fact it didn’t budge in marathon runners contradicts assumptions that it’s a reliable marker for exercise-induced stress.
Practical Takeaways
If you're training for your first marathon, don't panic if you feel tired or your blood test shows elevated troponin — it's normal. Focus on recovery, not fear.
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year
2023
Authors
Jianzhong Hu, Songqing Zhou, Suryeon Ryu, Kaitlyn Adams, Zan Gao
Related Content
Claims (6)
High-volume endurance training is not associated with an increased incidence of acute myocardial infarction.
Runners who train harder and faster for years tend to have bigger heart chambers than those who run less, which helps their hearts pump more blood.
After running a marathon, everyone’s heart pumps a bit harder right after finishing, but it goes back to normal by the next day.
Experienced runners have less heart cell damage after a marathon than beginners, even though everyone’s heart gets stressed.
Beginner runners still show signs of heart stress a day after a marathon, but experienced runners’ hearts look normal again by then.