Male marathon runners age 60 and above are at greater risk of suffering from cardiac arrest during long-distance races, a survey by a Japanese research team has found.

The frequency of cardiac arrests for men of that age group was six times the rate of those age 49 or younger.

Female runners, on the other hand, did not tend to have an increased risk of cardiac arrest with age, according to the survey conducted by researchers at Keio University.

"Unlike women, men were found to have an increased frequency of cardiac arrest during marathons with age," said Keio University Associate Professor Tomohiro Manabe, who led the study. "We thus recommend that men age 60 or older undergo health checks for heart disease and other conditions before participating in marathons."

The survey covered 516 official marathons of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations that were held between April 2011 and March 2019.

Approximately 80% of a total of some 4.1 million participants in the races were men. Of the 69 people who suffered cardiac arrest, 66 were men.

Cardiac arrest occurred in 1.7 per 100,000 participants. The frequency increased with age, standing at 0.9 people for those in their 40s and younger, 2.6 for those in their 50s, and 5.5 for those age 60 or older. The increase is believed to be associated with angina and other conditions common among the elderly.

Tokyo Marathon, which began in 2007, sparked the spread of citizens' marathons throughout Japan.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, a number of races were forced to discontinue due to a lack of participants and financial difficulties. Still, elaborately planned races, including those providing participants with local specialties, remain popular.