Description:
<jats:sec><jats:title>Background and aims</jats:title><jats:p>Participation in exhaustive endurance sports competitions continues to be popular. Questions about the cardiovascular side effects of prolonged excessive exercise persist. Our study aimed to elucidate the acute effects of marathon running on arterial stiffness (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AST</jats:styled-content>) and to detect the role of body composition, fitness status, and inflammation.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Body composition was investigated in lean and obese recreational runners taking part in a marathon race. Fitness levels were determined in advance by a symptom‐limited treadmill test to obtain the individual anaerobic threshold. Carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content>), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content>), and inflammatory markers (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TNF</jats:styled-content>‐ɑ, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">IL</jats:styled-content>‐6, hs<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CRP</jats:styled-content>) were measured before 2 hours and 24 hours after a marathon race.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>A total of 47 male runners with a wide range of body mass index (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>) and fitness levels took part in the study. Baseline <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content> was independent of body composition. Marathon running induced an acute <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content> drop from 8.5 m/s to 7.9 m/s within the first two hours after the race (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.05). Body composition and not physical fitness predicted the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content> differences postmarathon (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> > 0.05). Changes in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content>, heart rate, or inflammatory markers were not associated with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content> postmarathon.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Though not evident at baseline, marathon running was associated with a reduced attenuation of central arterial stiffness in overweight and obese runners. The reduced responsiveness and attenuation of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PWV</jats:styled-content> with higher <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BMI</jats:styled-content>, independent of hemodynamic changes and systemic inflammation, may represent masked vascular dysfunction in overweight and obese runners.</jats:p></jats:sec>