REF-894 · Hottenrott et al., 2016 · Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Vol. · Paper · PubMed

Does a run/walk strategy decrease cardiac stress during a marathon in non-elite runners?

B+moderate evidenceMeasured on recreational to trained athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

Run/walk is often recommended to novice runners, but whether it reduces cardiovascular stress was unclear. Forty-two non-elite runners (22 men, 20 women) ran a marathon either with a run/walk strategy or running only.

Finish times were similar, cardiac biomarkers rose in both groups and returned to baseline within 4 days, and the run/walk group reported less muscle pain and fatigue after the race. The authors conclude that run/walk does not reduce the load on the cardiovascular system but lets non-elite runners reach similar finish times with less muscle discomfort.

Participants

n=42 non-elite runners: 22 men and 20 women. The split between the two strategies is not given in the abstract.

Protocol

Design: randomised experimental trial with repeated measures.
Strategies: run/walk vs running only over a full marathon (the run:walk ratio is not given in the abstract).
Blood: cardiac biomarkers from the cubital vein immediately after the finish.
Incremental treadmill test: 7 days before and 4 days after the marathon.

Key Results

Finish time: run/walk 04:14:25 ± 00:19:51 vs running only 04:07:40 ± 00:27:15 (p = 0.377) — no significant difference.
Both groups: B-type natriuretic peptide, creatine kinase MB isoenzyme and myoglobin increased (p < 0.001) and returned to baseline 4 days after the marathon.
Cardiac troponin I was elevated in only two subjects.
B-type natriuretic peptide (r = -0.363; p = 0.041) and myoglobin (r = -0.456; p = 0.009) were inversely correlated with velocity at the individual anaerobic threshold.
Run/walk reported less muscle pain and fatigue after the race (p = 0.006).

Practical Application

In 42 non-elite runners randomised to run/walk or to run the whole marathon, finish times were similar (04:14:25 vs 04:07:40, p = 0.377), cardiac stress markers rose in both and were back to baseline 4 days later, and the run/walk group reported less muscle pain and fatigue (p = 0.006). To "is run/walk slower, or easier on my heart?": neither in this study; it cost no significant time and did not change cardiac stress, but it left runners less sore.
Run/walk is a comfort and muscle-damage tool here, not a heart-protection tool.
Runners with a faster individual anaerobic threshold had lower post-race BNP and myoglobin: fitness, not strategy, went with less stress.
The abstract gives no run:walk ratio. Do not quote one from this entry.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: how blood markers recover after a marathon is in REF-762; marathon pacing and first-marathon advice are in SYNTH-64.

Limitations

n=42; group sizes, the run:walk ratio and randomisation details are not given in the abstract.
Cardiac markers taken immediately after the finish; the abstract does not describe pre-race sampling.
Muscle pain and fatigue were self-reported.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

randomised, n=42; the rubric's A- for RCTs ≥40 not applied because group sizes, randomisation details and a power calculation are not given in the abstract and the key outcomes are post-race blood markers