Running a Marathon Turns Your Brain Awesome, Researchers Find
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Running a marathon can cause a spike in awesomeness, new research shows, creating awesome changes in the brain that can last weeks, months, or even years.
The study, which could have far-reaching implications in the field of applied awesomeness, appears in next month’s issue of “The New England Journal of Whoa.”
“These findings are really exciting,” said Paul D. Hudson, Ph.D., the lead researcher and an avid runner himself. “For years we’ve known that running even a short distance boosts the brain in various ways, and we’ve hypothesized that finishing a marathon can deliver exponentially greater benefits.”
“This study is the first to validate that hypothesis and, indeed, to quantify it.”
To reach their conclusions, Dr. Hudson and his colleagues followed 465 first-time marathoners, using MRI scans and blood tests to record their brains’ awesomeness levels in the months leading up to their race, immediately after their race, and in the months afterward.
What they found, Hudson said, astounded them.
“During marathon training, awesomeness increased, but in pretty small increments,” he said. “After the race, however—whoa. These runners’ brains were, on average 3.8 times awesomer.”
Those levels diminished over time, Hudson said, but these losses, too, were gradual and incremental—and the brains’ awesomeness levels remained above baseline even four months later.
“The takeaway is clear,” he said. “If you want an awesomer brain, run a marathon.”
