(This comment references bodyweight. While not normative, some readers may wish to skip it.) -- I am usually quite critical of misreported findings but I mus

(This comment references bodyweight. While not normative, some readers may wish to skip it.) -- I am usually quite critical of misreported findings but I must say the article does seem to support its findings pretty clearly. If they had a plot of it, I would expect to show over this period another effect: "amateur marathon finishers have never weighed more, or been slower." Obviously this is my speculation and if found as I predict it would be a statement that even those who care enough about their health to train for, run, and finish in a marathon, have been weighing more and more. I say this as a prediction because it is a very strong effect throughout the population. It certainly trumps any other health changes that have affected the population as a whole over the same period. This data may be possible to estimate retroactively, visually based on photographs and footage of races - telling 15% from 25% from 35% from 40% bodyfat (for both genders) may be possible based on photographs alone. (With low fidelity.) For comparison, although I couldn't find a chart going to 2017, this article includes weights for Americans as a whole through 2010: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/12/look-at-how-much-weight-weve-gained-since-the-1960s/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/12/look-... It is interesting to compare with the data we have just seen. - EDIT: I have edited this following a downvote. If there are specific objections I can edit it further or remove it.