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Study Finds That Being Pregnant Is Like Constantly Running A Marathon by Sarah Aswell



Study Finds That Being Pregnant Is Like Constantly Running A Marathon

Scientists studying the ultimate limit of human endurance found that being pregnant is akin to constantly running a marathon
Maybe it should be called the Ironwoman.

Sarah Aswell

AJ_WATT/GETTY

A new study on the limits of human endurance, conducted by Duke University, has found that one of the most extreme experiences that a person can endure isn’t an Ironman race or an ultra marathon. It’s pregnancy.

The study, which was published in Science Advances this month, took an in-depth look at what happens to the bodies of elite athletes participating in the most challenging races in the world, including the Ironman, the Tour de France, and the 3,000-mile Race Across the U.S.A., in which competitors ran six marathons a week over 120 days. But they found that one of the very hardest things you can do is carry a baby to term over nine months.

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