Marathon running can increase your risk of cardiac arrest, say experts

Interestingly, the risks for runners are heightened by racing

As a middle-aged male, does marathon running transiently increase my risk for cardiac arrest? Marathon running can increase your risk of cardiac arrest in the short term, but it also lowers the overall likelihood that you will experience cardiac arrest or other heart problems, according to science, statistics and sports cardiologists.

“In general, endurance exercise substantially reduces the risk that someone will develop heart disease,” says Paul D Thompson, emeritus chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and co-author of a three-volume textbook about sports cardiology.

Exercise does not prevent heart disease altogether, though, he says, and the hearts of marathon