About 8pc fall into high-risk category for severe depression, above international norms\n<\/p>\n
Ireland boasts one of the highest rates of multi-marathoners \u2014 or people who run marathons \u2014 in the world.<\/p>\n
The study found that a small percentage of people who regularly run marathons reported slightly higher levels of both depression and anxiety than the general population.<\/p>\n
About 8pc fell into a high-risk category for severe depression and anxiety, well above World Health Organisation norms, but most scores were still below the level used to diagnose a mental health disorder. <\/p>\n
Women reported higher depression scores than men, while older men showed notably lower anxiety.<\/p>\n
Researchers surveyed 576 multi-marathoners from 22 countries across six continents \u2014 including Ireland, the UK, Italy and the US. Each participant logged an average of 146 marathons and had a mean age of 54.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study highlights that marathon running is not a guarantee of good mental health,\u201d said study author Dr Leo Lundy.<\/p>\n
He said that multi-marathoners are extraordinary athletes, but their psychological well-being varies widely.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning long distances regularly may build resilience for some, but may increase vulnerability in others. Recognising both the strengths and the risks is essential if the community is to stay healthy, motivated and supported,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Questionnaires measuring depression and anxiety in the multi-marathoners were compared with data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda), a large national survey of adults aged 50 and older.<\/p>\n
\nFor some runners, the habit becomes more of a coping mechanism than a joy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThough the present study does not prove cause and effect, a separate published study from the same programme found that many multi-marathoners scored as introverted and emotionally unstable,\u201d said Dr Lundy. \u201cThis earlier finding may help explain why a subgroup in the current study showed elevated mental health symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Lundy said Ireland has one of the highest numbers of multi-marathoners per head of population in the world, based on international rankings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe findings show that even in a country with such a vibrant running scene, the mental health of those who run marathons at extreme frequency needs attention,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Dr Lundy \u2014 a PhD researcher at the Reilly Lab, Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering \u2014 said Marathon Club Ireland has revealed that more than 100 Irish runners have already completed at least 100 marathons and 15 have gone beyond 300.<\/p>\n
Among them is a 75-year-old woman from North East Runners in Dundalk, who has finished more than 1,100 official marathons.<\/p>\n
Dr Lundy said that racing almost every week puts huge pressure on recovery, social life and balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor most runners, it works well, but for a small group, it may tip into stress, overtraining or even dependence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dr Lundy, who has completed more than 400 marathons around the world, said running a marathon every weekend is not \u201cthe same as the buzz of a single big race\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe body and mind are under constant strain, and for some runners, the habit becomes more of a coping mechanism than a joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where burnout and anxiety can creep in,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About 8pc fall into high-risk category for severe depression, above international norms Ireland boasts one of the highest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[18,117,19,17,22482],"class_list":{"0":"post-91823","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-trinity-college-dublin"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}