With the London Marathon set to take place this month, thousands of people will be undertaking their very first long-distance race.
And those who are training for their maiden marathon can possibly expect to experience a drop in their blood pressure. According to a study from 2020 conducted by the British Heart Foundation, first-timers can also hope to have more elastic arteries.
Researchers from Barts Health NHS Trust and University College London made the revelation after they measured people’s central blood pressure and stiffness of the main artery before and after six months of training for the famous run.
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During the course of the study, patients’ arteries became less stiff, which was equivalent to a four-year reduction in their ‘arterial age’, which is the age of your arteries, something that can differ from your chronological age.
When you check your blood pressure, you are presented with two numbers. The first number is known as systolic blood pressure, while the second number is called diastolic blood pressure.
The two numbers show how hard your heart works to pump blood throughout your body and how much pressure it puts on your blood vessels. The study also displayed a drop in patients’ systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 4mmHg and 3mmHg (HG standing for millimeters of mercury), respectively.
However, slower marathon runners with higher baseline blood pressure reaped the greatest benefits. Dr Charlotte Manisty from Barts Heart Centre and University College London said: “Our study shows it is possible to reverse the consequences of ageing on our blood vessels with real-world exercise in just six months.
“These benefits were observed in overall healthy individuals across a broad age range and their marathon times are suggestive of achievable exercise training in novice participants.”
Associate Medical Director, Professor Metin Avkiran added: “The benefits of exercise are undeniable. Keeping active reduces your risk of having a heart attack or stroke and cuts your chances of an early death. As the old mantra goes, if exercise were a pill it would be hailed as a wonder drug.
“Setting yourself a goal – such as training for a marathon – is a great way to stay motivated and follow through on your New Year health resolutions. But you don’t need to train for a marathon to reap the benefits.
“Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. More is usually better, but every bit counts. Even a brisk walk on your lunch break will steer you towards better heart and circulatory health.”
Three-time winner of the Marathon, Paula Radcliffe, also dispensed with her tips for newcomers to the race by explaining how you should fuel your body once you cross the finish line.
“When you finish your run, it’s really important to eat within 20 minutes,” Radcliffe said in 2021. “Get some food, not just hydration, but carbohydrates and protein as well in that 20 minute window as that’s when the muscles are most open to refuelling and re-energising.
“If you don’t do that and miss that window, you’re far more likely to be sore and not recover the next day. If you actually do it in that 20-minute window, it really helps to recover quickly.
“Eat something with protein, something with carbohydrates, and obviously some liquid as well in the first 20 minutes, even if it’s just a banana and a handful of cashew nuts.” The 2025 London Marathon takes place later this month on April 27.
