| | LONDON -- Sex on the eve of a big race is
good for marathon running, according to a survey carried out for
the organizers of Sunday's London marathon.
"Every competitor planning to build a last-minute
lovemaking session into their training program will run faster
than those who don't," organizers said Tuesday.
The study concludes that marathon running
can be good for your sex life, with 30 percent of those
questioned saying the sport had improved their performance in
bed, organizers said.
The survey, commissioned by the race sponsors, explores the
loves, hates and habits of long-distance runners and was based
on the finishing times of 2,000 entrants in last year's event,
of both sexes.
Half of those questioned maintained their sex life had been
unaffected by running while 8 perccent said running had
harmed it.
Most runners were against sex the night before the big day
-- competitors have to get up early on the morning of the race.
"But those who said 'yes' -- with men being more 'for' than
women -- had faster finishing times," organizers said.
Peter Marsh of the Oxford-based Social Issues Research
Centre, who carried out the survey, said, "For the first time
we have gone inside the mind of the marathon runner and produced
some very interesting findings -- not least those about sex.
"The survey also shows how preparing to take part in this
great test of endurance can affect many different areas of
people's lives."
The favorite for Sunday's men's race -- Khalid Khannouchi of Morocco, who is now based in the United States -- is not a fan of sex before hours of pounding the streets.
"We don't have sex -- not even a week before," his wife
and coach Sandra Khannouchi said.
"The week before we just concentrate on the marathon," she said. "After
the race is over we have a party. But not before. It doesn't work for us."
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