I adore Paul D. Thompson, M.D. I “met” him yesterday via phone. He’s a well-known cardiologist and marathon runner, who published a history of medical research related to the Boston Marathon. I also adore Bill Roberts, M.D., who is a Minnesota-based doctor who studies marathon runners.

Anyone who studies marathon runners is pretty much my kind of guy. More importantly, with the recent research stating that marathon running can lead to heart damage and the rising number of cardiac complications along the race course, these men offer a calm, reasonable perspective.

Thompson’s theory is this: Exercise is good for you. Running or any other strenuous activity will strain your heart while you’re actually working out, but you have to strain muscles to make them stronger.

Roberts concluded that there’s no reason to test marathon runners to see if they are likely to collapse at the end of races. Instead, he said, the chances of sudden death are unlikely.

Runner’s World writer Amby Burfoot drew attention to several marathon studies earlier this week, including that:

13 Percent of Boston Finishers Have Hyponatremia

Marathoners with Less Training Produce More Cardiac Troponins, a Measure of Heart Injury

Hot, Humid Weather and Cold, Rainy Weather Increase Marathon Medical Problems

Check out the Runner’s World post (linked above) for more information.