GM athletes could break 2hr marathon | The Sunday Times


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GM athletes could break 2hr marathon

Brendan Montague and Sarah-Kate Templeton
Published: 13 April 2008

FOR more than 100 years, athletes have striven to complete the marathon in less than two hours. Now scientists believe that advances in genetics could lead to a runner completing the 26.22mile course in 90 minutes.

After a series of laboratory breakthroughs they claim that bio-engineering techniques could be used to create a superhuman long-distance runner.

The scientists claim that modifying the human genome could, in theory, increase the size of an athlete's heart, boost the number of red blood cells supplying the body with oxygen and increase the endurance of specific muscles by up to 10%.

It is widely believed that, without genetic help, athletes are coming close to their physiological limits, despite increasingly sophisticated diets and training regimes. The prospect of superhuman athletes - and other genetically modified sports stars - could allow competition to thrive again.

French academics have claimed that no new sporting world records will be set

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