{"id":7703,"date":"2026-01-09T09:30:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T02:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=7703"},"modified":"2026-01-09T09:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T02:30:07","slug":"does-running-wear-out-the-bodies-of-professionals-and-amateurs-alike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/does-running-wear-out-the-bodies-of-professionals-and-amateurs-alike\/","title":{"rendered":"Does running wear out the bodies of professionals and amateurs\u00a0alike?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Running counts among today\u2019s most popular sports. Sometimes the race is on even before the competition itself has started, as tickets for events sell out within hours. In France, this has got people talking about a \u201crace for the runner\u2019s bib\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while running enjoys the reputation of a wholesome sport, the reality is that some of us feel stress at the simple prospect of donning a bib, while even a greater number of us face exhaustion upon completing a race such as a marathon or trail. So, what exactly is the toll of the sport on our bodies, and does our status as an amateur or a pro make a difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working it out like a pro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019d be easy to place professional and amateur runners in two separate boxes. Indeed, pros train hard\u2013up to three times a day ahead of certain races. Life at those times is austere, punctuated by meals, runs and sleep, leaving little room for improvisation. And while you might think that the countless events around the world might dilute some of the demand for them, competition in such a universal sport is in fact fierce and professional runners need to push their bodies to the limit to get better at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-level careers are often brief, lasting five or six years. Stories such as that of Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to run a marathon in under two hours (under non-certifiable conditions), sixteen years after becoming world champion in the 5,000 metres on the track, remain exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The significant mechanical stress inherent in the sport weighs on the muscles, tendons and skeleton. There are times when rest periods are short and it\u2019s increasingly common to see athletes injuring themselves during competitions on live television, a surefire sign of physical and mental exhaustion. Some might consider these factors to be fairly typical: after all, these are top-level athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarities between professionals and amateurs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But are world champs, next-door champs and ordinary runners really that different? Considering the tip of the iceberg of this question, the answer seems obvious: they don\u2019t run at the same speed and therefore don\u2019t spend the same time exerting themselves. But what about the submerged part: the pre-race prep, training, the individuals\u2019 investment and self-sacrifice? When you want to break a record\u2013your own record\u2013don\u2019t you give 100% of yourself, both physically and mentally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s consider the figures for the Paris Marathon in 2025: 56,950 registered for the race, 55,499 finishers. The mass event spells the same challenge for all: 42,195 km (around 26 mi) for the fifty or so athletes who might be considered elite and all the others who have to juggle it with their professional and family lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth, regardless of your level or speed, there are many similarities in how you prepare for a marathon, with identical training loads. Marathon training typically lasts ten to twelve weeks and includes essential elements such as \u201clong runs\u201d, a training session of around thirty kilometres recommended once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one escapes it. And there\u2019s a whole range of science-based books on running, designed to guide the general public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as training takes its toll on both body and morale, the risk of injury rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trail or marathon prepping: increased risk of injury for amateurs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In fact, we most often see stress-related injuries among amateurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A high-level athlete doesn\u2019t need to see a sports doctor. Why is that? Because they have built their careers over many years and have specific genetic characteristics that allow them to take on heavy training loads. They follow a specific programme that includes dietary measures, recovery phases and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional athletes benefit from much better general and medical support than novice or amateur runners who, whether for individual or collective challenges, embark on projects such as marathons or trail running. This is how a runner like Christelle Daunay, after fifteen years of practice and modest beginnings at the national level, patiently built herself up to win the European Marathon Championships in Zurich in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"French<\/a>
French athlete Christelle Daunay wins the marathon at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich in 2014. Erik van Leeuwen<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

When physical stress takes its toll on professionals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The issue of physical stress has been raised for a long time. In the 1990s, it was already reported that simply running for 45 minutes rather than 30 minutes a day could double the frequency of injuries. Going from three to five weekly sessions had similar effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christelle Daunay was no exception. She suffered a stress-related fracture in 2018, which prevented her from defending her title as European marathon champion in 2014. It should be noted that a \u201cstress fracture\u201d is a bone injury, similar to a crack, which can be caused by running long distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When ultra-trail puts body and mind to the test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recent development of trail running (i.e. running in the great outdoors) only reinforces these concerns, with not just the wilderness but \u201cultra\u201d aspect appealing to many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extreme sport has its own particularities. Due to the irregular terrain, its practice requires different joint and muscle movements and therefore greater concentration than road running. Add to that the effort\u2019s duration, ranging from a few hours to a full day or more, the issues of nutrition, effort management, and muscle damage that sets in over time, and it\u2019s easy to understand why these events lead to mental and physical fatigue, not only during the event itself, but also in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conditions of running-related physical wear depend on many factors and vary from person to person. For example, on whether you jog to hit a speed or mileage goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing out the body at a given moment to increase its resistance\u2026 to wear and tear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the focus, people often engage in specific training programmes, with physical and physiological progress relying on the human body\u2019s remarkable adaptive capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note the paradox here: one of the principles of training is to stimulate the body, to \u201cwear it out\u201d at a given moment in time in order to trigger the physiological processes that will lead to improved capabilities, the fight against fatigue\u2026 and, ultimately, increased resistance to physical stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fundamental process is the basis of physical rehabilitation\/recovery programmes, which are increasingly used in physiopathological contexts, for example to treat peripheral artery disease or obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, at its most intense, training can require mental commitment, resistance to weariness, and a strong will to continue the effort over time despite fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress can therefore also be mental. This is perhaps the major difference between amateurs and professionals, who have no choice but to put their bodies under severe strain in order to progress in the high-level hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros or amateurs, the importance of good coaching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seeking to push their physical and mental limits can lead any runner to feel \u201cworn out\u201d. All these factors highlight the importance of being well supervised and advised (by coaches, in clubs, etc.) in order to train with a certain progression, both in terms of quantity and intensity, and to adapt one\u2019s lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No technical equipment is needed to run \u2013 an advantage which allows you to ideally experience your own body, provided you\u2019re aware of races\u2019 risks and limitations. And rest assured, if you still don\u2019t enjoy this sport, there are plenty of other options available so you can find something that suits you and enjoy the health benefits of physical activity. What\u2019s important is to keep moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Extract from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running<\/em> by Haruki Murakami:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cHuman beings naturally continue doing things they like, and they don\u2019t continue what they don\u2019t like. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve never recommended running to others. It doesn\u2019t suit everybody. Similarly, not everyone can become a novelist.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Beno\u00eet Holzerny, a health-promoting sports coach, and C\u00e9dric Thomas, a top athlete trainer (including the 2014 European marathon champion, Christelle Daunay), contributed to writing this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sylvain Durand<\/a>, Professeur de physiologie humaine au d\u00e9partement STAPS, chercheur au laboratoire Motricit\u00e9, Interactions, Performance, Le Mans Universit\u00e9<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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