Did you know there’s a genetic test available that will tell you whether you have the potential to be ‘good’ marathoner?
That’s right, it’ll save you months, even years of training agony because, according to the article, if you do not possess the DNA necessary for your body to respond well and adapt to stamina training, your chances of improving are slim to none. Yikes.
According to Professor Jamie Timmons, running a good marathon requires a special mix of genes that nearly 20% of the population lacks.“If someone’s ambition is to do a marathon in a decent manner, we can tell them if they can based on their baseline fitness and their potential for responding to training.” Hmmm.
My question for the professor: What is a ‘good’ marathon? PR? Sub 4? Sub 3? Boston qualifier? Elite? World record? For some a simple finish is victory in itself. Maybe that definition should be left up to the runner.
Would you take this test? How do you define a ‘good’ marathon?
It’s Marathon Monday! Count on it I’ll be watching streaming coverage of one of my very favorite marathons today.
To all of my friends running this year: there are over 100 of you so too many for shoutouts plus you’ve got way better things to do than read blogs today. Run well, soak it up, ENJOY and spank those hills for me!
Well…. I can save my money, I know I am not a good runner… but I keep trying and trying and trying….
i can guaranteed that i don’t possess that gene, and i’m more than happy to live in blissful ignorance about it. honestly, i think that doc is full of it. marathons are hard, for everyone!!!! they are mind over matter most of the time, and other times the body just says helllll-noooo.
sounds like a way for this doc to just make some $$$ off of desperate athletes.
That’s an interesting article. They talk about the 20% who don’t respond to training because of genetics, and then they talk about the 15% who respond really well….which to me puts most of us in the middle “keep trying” category. I betcha that’s where I am: the “keep trying” category. So I’ll skip the test, too, and just keep trying. :^)
I saw that test and decided…I don’t want to know! I’ll just plead ignorance and keep on putting myself through the torture that is the marathon.
I’m sad I’m not at Boston this year. I’m going to make a hotel reservation tomorrow for next year and sign up in Sept!
Interesting, I’m sure I’ll save my money but it would be interesting to see what the test shows.
Your post generated me to write a post about the Boston marathon, more of a question, would like your opinion on it
Maybe this would be helpful for top runners? But for most of us, it just seems silly. If we enjoy the process of training and trying to beat our last best time, what does it really matter if we have that gene or not? Thanks for sharing… interesting stuff.
hahaha, I guess I’m glad I don’t care if I’m a “fast” runner. I’m glad I just love the sport. That is crazy, though, that you can test to see if you’d be fast. I wonder if parents will start testing kids and being like, “YOU HAVE THE GENES OF A CHAMPION!” and making them run.
I wouldn’t take the test – as with many things I think ignorance is bliss!! Plus, I don’t want to pay money to find out I’m not “good enough”. I think anyone who runs a marathon is awesome!!!
Pretty 100% sure I don’t have it.. but how fun to think this test is there for others!
I’m pretty sure the answer in my case is NO. Ha!
wwwhhhaaaat?? I think after 10 years I pretty know i”m not going to be shalane so I guess I can skip the test, but I totally geek out on science data like that
Definitely not fast- definitely no one in my family runs…but I try. That is good enough for me!
It’s a little too late for me to know now. And I’m not sure what it would really tell me. I knew what I was capable of 10 years ago. Would it make me feel better to know I ran a fast without the gene. Or if I had it, should I have run faster?
LOL. I think most of us don’t need to take that test to know we don’t have the elite genes. But, they do exist. Some people can take in oxygen better and therefore, perform better. If you are out there and having fun, who cares, though? I do wonder what a good time is for them.
They told Ann Trason she simply didn’t have the genes to be a good runner, and she still holds many of the ultra records 20 years later. I think there are so many things that go into making someone good at something, that one test can’t be definitive.
no way. i wouldn’t do it. and don’t know if i agree with it-i have seen plenty of runners that don’t look “fast” or “elite” and end up being speedy. one test can’t prove any of that.
I’m sure my data would spit out that I need to stop running and take up knitting. I wouldn’t want to know my results of something like that, I get too wound up over the stupidest of things, I don’t need that pressure too. Ha.
Thought of you today on this Monday, about our great adventure 3 years ago. So terribly tragic now…
Oooooh, I’d love to do that test, just out of curiousity. I wonder how much $$$ it is.
I am 99.999% sure I do not. 🙂 Love the photo collage – what good memories. That was the best marathon weekend!