If you're currently making New Year resolutions then you might want to consider adding your first marathon to your list of 2020 goals, with new research suggesting that running a marathon for the first time could bring several health benefits.
The researchers examined the participants before they started their training and after completing the marathon to see if there was an association between the long-distance run and age-related aortic stiffening,which is a normal part of aging but can increase cardiovascular risk in otherwise healthy individuals.
Participants were assessed six months before the marathon and within three weeks of completing it, but no earlier than one week after the marathon to avoid any acute effects of exercise. The researchers recorded blood pressure and aortic stiffness, and also calculated the participants' biological aortic age by looking at their actual age and aortic stiffness at three levels of the aorta.
In addition, the older, slower male marathon runners with higher blood pressure at the start of the study appeared to benefit the most.