The Seventh Commonwealth Games was held in Perth, Western Australia, in November 1962. The opportunity was taken to obtain electrocardiograms on the marathon runners before and after the race. Similar observations are rather scanty, and it is apparent that more data are required from larger numbers of all types of athletes of international status. In addition to a short-term study of the present type, information is needed on the prognostic significance of the changes in the cardiogram. Do these, at times, indicate a harmful effect on the myocardium? Conversely does regular strenuous exercise prolong life (White, 1959;Morris et al., 1953)?Beckner and Winsor (1954) discussed the cardiovascular adaptations to prolonged physical effort. They studied 40 normal non-runners and 155 male marathon runners who had at least five years' training. The main features of the electrocardiograms of the runners at rest were relatively slow heart rates, vertical or semivertical electrical patterns, large voltage of the QRS complexes, and tall T and U waves. Radiologically the hearts were enlarged, but immediately after a race the transverse diameters decreased considerably. Repeat cardiograms immediately after a marathon race showed an increase in amplitude of the P, QRS, and T complexes. In one patient there was a significant depression ofthe ST segment. Several of these observations had originally been made in a very early cardiogram study of marathon runners by Bramwell and Ellis (1931).Beswick and Jordan (1961) reported on the electrocardiograms of 60 male athletes at the 1958 Commonwealth Games at Cardiff. They confirmed the earlier findings of Bechner and Winsor and added new vectorcardiographic data. Their findings were discussed as evidence of increased vagal activity and physiological right ventricular hypertrophy. Karvonen (1959), in a study of champion long-distance skiers who continued the sport until old age, noted bradycardia, slow conduction at atrial and ventricular level, high voltage, and cardiac enlargement, the latter especially before the start of a race. A retrospective study indicated that these skiers survived on the average seven years longer than non-skiing controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODSThe present study deals with 21 competitors in the marathon race at the 1962 Commonwealth Games at Perth, Western Australia. The cardiograms of all competitors were taken before the race and of 18 soon after its completion. The 21 competitors came from five continents (Africa, Asia (Pakistan), Australasia, Europe, and North America (Canada)). Their athletic performance was of better than average quality. The eventual winner of the race had previously won the 1962 European Games marathon, and his performance time for the 1962 Commonwealth Games event was a new Games record. According to the competitors, the weather conditions were excellent for such an event. The temperature during the day averaged 640F. (17'80C.) and the humidity was 80 per cent. 469 group.bmj.com on March 15, 2015 -Published by http://heart.bmj.com/ Downlo...

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