Marathon runners’ biggest obstacle is poor air quality
Blisters, sore knees and chafing have got nothing on how badly poor air quality affects marathon running times, according to new research from Brown University School of Public Health.
Allan Just, an associate professor of epidemiology and environment and society at Brown, created a statistical model which allow the researchers to see the levels of PM2.5 in the air at different points along nine marathon courses in cities including Boston, Houston and Los Angeles.
They used public marathon data to obtain the finish times for over two and a million runners who had completed these races.
Study author Elvira Fleury said: ‘This really sophisticated spatial-temporal model of particulate matter allowed us to plot pollution at every mile of every course. Without a model like this, it wouldn’t have been possible to look at so many different marathons in different states across different years.’
They found that each 1 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 during the race was associated with 32 second slower average finish times for men and 25 second slower average finish times among women. The faster than average runners were found to be affected more.
By this implication, seven of the last ten men’s World record-breaking runs would not have broken the previous record had the PM2.5 levels been just 1 µg/m³ higher.
Fleury said: ‘The difference seems small, but for marathon runners trying to achieve a personal record, every second matters.
‘Think of all the effort, time and money that a professional runner like Eliud Kipchoge put into trying to break the world record and run a marathon in less than two hours. Runners at that level are thinking about their gear, their nutrition, their training, the course, even the weather. Our results show that those interested in optimizing athletic performance should consider the effect of air pollution, as well.’
Joseph Braun, a professor of epidemiology at Brown’s School of Public Health added: ‘People who can complete a marathon are generally quite healthy, and we can assume they have honed their cardiorespiratory fitness.
‘This study revealed a negative impact from air pollution, even at levels below current health-based standards, on these very healthy people. This means that air pollution can be a health risk not just for those who are elderly or susceptible — it can negatively affect even the most healthy and well-trained among us.’
The research can accessed here.
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