Running Facts You Might Not Know

According to Runner's World magazine participation in marathons and half-marathons has grown more than 36 percent in the last five years. Needless to say, there are a lot of crazy people out there ripping up pavement with their Asics everyday. With any popular sport, comes tons of interesting (and mostly irrelevant) facts and information that are published in magazines, guides and promotional materials. Running is no exception. The following is a list of facts I've stumbled across along my training path. Please add your own comments and toss out your own useless facts.

Running Facts:

1. The risk of having a heart attack during a marathon is one in 55,000. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

2. Runners who played ball sports (ie football) as kids had nearly 50 percent fewer stress fractures than runner who didn't. Stanford University researchers found that runners who played ball aports had "greater and more symmetrically distributed bone mass." (Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine)

3. Physically active people have a 60 percent lower risk for Alzheimer's disease than coach potatoes (The Lancet Neurology - Sweden)

4. Athletes dressed in red are more likely to win events than athletes wearing another color. (Nature)

5. There are 26 combined bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles in the human foot (Nike Ad)

6. In terms of on-site media coverage, the Boston Marathon ranks behind only the Super Bowl as the largest single day sporting event in the world. More than 1,100 media members, representing more than 250 outlets, are expected to request and receive media credentials in 2006. (Boston Athletic Association)

7. An average man has enough energy in his fat stores to run non-stop for 3 days at 15 miles per hour. (bbc.co.uk)

8. 12 of the world's top-20 distance runners are members of the Kalenjin tribe of northwest Kenya. (bbc.co.uk)

9. Runners report average yearly injury rates from 24% to 68%, of which 2% to 11% involve the hip or pelvis - (van Mechelen, W. in "Running injuries: a review of the epidemiological literature")

10. 13.2 to 17.3 percent of all running injuries have been attributed to shin splints (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons)