Running Facts - Funny, Interesting and Weird!

This is a light-hearted post for all those runners out there - particularly the more hardy ones in training for forthcoming marathons.  It won't give you tips on how to set a personal best, but it will arm you with facts and useful (?) info whilst you're chatting to your fellow-runners, waiting for your race to get started! 

Below are 13 funny, weird and interesting facts about running.  (Who's guilty of No.8?!) 👉😊👈

1. According to a study by the University of Arkansas with 408 participants, running makes you more desirable. 80% of men and 60% of women actually felt more attractive due to regular running.

2. The oldest marathon finisher comes from India and his name is Fauja Singh. At the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canada, the 100-year-old finished the race in a time of 8 hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds.

3. The youngest marathon runner in the world is Budhia Singh. He has already finished 48 marathons before his fifth birthday.

4. Breast milk can taste sour after intense running training. The lactic acid produced during strenuous exercise is absorbed into the milk and can change its taste.

5. Runners who average more than 80 km (50 miles) per week are twice as likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses. Those who run 20-30 km (12.4-18.6 miles) a week have a stronger immune system and are less prone to colds.

6. Regular running training is good for improving the long-term stability of bones. Researchers at the University of Michigan came to the conclusion that 12-20 minutes of running three times a week can increase bone mineral density.

7. The French ultramarathon runner Serge Girard holds the world record for the longest distance run in 365 days. He ran every day for a year, crossed a total of 25 countries and covered a total distance of 27,011 kilometers (16,783 miles).

8. Researchers have found that the majority of runners will straighten up when an attractive runner of the opposite sex is coming towards them.

9. The German Achim Aretz holds the marathon world record in backward running. At the 2010 Frankfurt Marathon, he crossed the finish line in a time of 3 hours, 42 minutes and 41 seconds.

10. In contrast to men, women usually run the second half of a marathon faster than the first. They tend to hang back more than men at the start, but continue to increase speed and finish strong in the second half of the race. This is what Professor Eric Allen and Patricia Dechow found when they analyzed 300,000 results from the Chicago Marathon.

11. One study looked at the impact of running on sex and orgasms. 78 runners began running four times a week. After nine months, they reported they were having 30% more sex. Plus, the number of orgasms they achieved increased by 26%.

12. The Kenyan Dennis Kimetto is the fastest marathon runner in the world. He set the world record of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 57 seconds at the 2014 Berlin Marathon.

13. The fastest runner in the world is the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. He holds the world record in the 100-meter dash (9.58 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (19.19 seconds). His maximum recorded speed is 44.72 km/h (27.8 mph).



https://www.runtastic.com/blog/en/sports-fitness/13-funny-interesting-and-weird-facts-about-running/