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A cascade of stress-related hormones floods the body in response to the sustained exertion. Blood tests after ultras have shown elevated cardiac enzymes, renal injury, and very high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, the proinflammatory compound interleukin-6, and creatine kinase, a toxic byproduct of muscle breakdown. Thatβs a lot for the immune system to handle. Approximately one in four runners at the Western States gets a cold after the race, and this is in the height of summer! Most
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