US EditionAn Endurance Limit that Surfaces in Punishing Races May Begin at Birth
The study found a U-shaped pattern, with 57% of runners showing creatinine rises that met clinical thresholds for possible acute kidney injury.
- University of Victoria researchers led by Alison Murray published a study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution investigating whether birth weight influences kidney stress during ultramarathons.
- The research followed 44 athletes—15 women and 29 men—competing in either a 230-kilometre race in Spain or a continuous race of up to 300 kilometres in Finland, tracking blood creatinine levels before and after each event.
- Overall, 57 per cent of athletes recorded rises meeting clinical thresholds for acute kidney injury, with results forming a U-shaped relationship where a birth weight of about 3.8 kilograms predicted the lowest stress.
- "Our study asks the question whether there is such a thing as 'too much' exercise," Murray said, noting that extreme events may push internal systems closer to their limits than previously understood.
- While researchers caution the study uses a small group and self-reported birth weights, the results suggest early-life biological factors remain a significant predictor of kidney response regardless of environment.
9 Articles
9 Articles
UVic research finds birth weight shapes how athletes handle extreme endurance - Creston Valley Advance
Ultramarathons push the human body to its limits, but new research from the University of Victoria suggests those limits may be shaped long before race day. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, led by UVic biological anthropologist Alison Murray, found an athlete’s birth weight may influence how their kidneys respond to the strain of extreme endurance events. “Humans are often described as naturally built for endurance, a tra…
UVic research finds birth weight shapes how athletes handle extreme endurance - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
Ultramarathons push the human body to its limits, but new research from the University of Victoria suggests those limits may be shaped long before race day. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, led by UVic biological anthropologist Alison Murray, found an athlete’s birth weight may influence how their kidneys respond to the strain of extreme endurance events. “Humans are often described as naturally built for endurance, a tra…
UVic research finds birth weight shapes how athletes handle extreme endurance - Grand Forks Gazette
Ultramarathons push the human body to its limits, but new research from the University of Victoria suggests those limits may be shaped long before race day. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, led by UVic biological anthropologist Alison Murray, found an athlete’s birth weight may influence how their kidneys respond to the strain of extreme endurance events. “Humans are often described as naturally built for endurance, a tra…
UVic research finds birth weight shapes how athletes handle extreme endurance - Northern Sentinel
Ultramarathons push the human body to its limits, but new research from the University of Victoria suggests those limits may be shaped long before race day. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, led by UVic biological anthropologist Alison Murray, found an athlete’s birth weight may influence how their kidneys respond to the strain of extreme endurance events. “Humans are often described as naturally built for endurance, a tra…
Williams Lake Tribune
UVic research finds birth weight shapes how athletes handle extreme endurance
Ultramarathons push the human body to its limits, but new research from the University of Victoria suggests those limits may be shaped long before race day. A study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, led by UVic biological anthropologist Alison Murray, found an athlete’s birth weight may influence how their kidneys respond to the strain of extreme endurance events. “Humans are often described as naturally built for endurance, a tra…
An endurance limit that surfaces in punishing races may begin at birth
A new study is raising questions about whether human endurance has biological limits shaped long before adulthood—possibly beginning at birth. Researchers are examining whether birth weight, a known risk factor for disease later in life, may also influence how the body responds to extreme endurance exercise.
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