Aims of the study. 1. To learn the extent and direction of changes in morphological indicators of blood in non-professional sportsmen, induced by long-lasting physical effort during the marathon. 2. To increase the amount of material validating the need to establish reference standards for haematologic variables in people of different age groups practising marathon running. Material. 10 volunteers aged 40-60 years were qualified for the study; all the volunteers were non-professional long distance runners, training 3-4 times per week for the last 3-10 years; all the volunteers had managed to finish a marathon without showing signs of extreme exhaustion. Methods. Blood samples were taken from antecubital vein (overnight fasting) a day before the "Cracovia Maraton" marathon event, as well as several minutes after it. Haematological analysis of the blood (WBC, RBC, HCT, Hb, MCH, MCV, MCHC, PLT, RET) was conducted in Laboratory of Pathology of the Musculoskeletal System at the University of Physical Education in Krakow, in which methods commonly used in medical diagnostics, as well as the newest equipment, were utilised. In the statistical analysis, the extent and direction of individual changes of haematologic variables in particular contestants and in mean values. Arithmetic means and dispersions of the results of haematologic variables were compared to comparative material, gathered in various research centres around the world, and to populational reference standards. Results. The level of morphological indicators of blood found in most of the marathon runners was, apart from leukocytes, in the range of populational reference standards. Under the influence of long-lasting physical effort (over 3 hours), the haematologic variables underwent changes in extent and direction, however not always statistically significant. Most changes were either contained in the extremes of reference standards, or were slightly higher. The place were the most disadvantageous impact of physical effort was observed was the number of leukocytes. Comparative analyses, performed all over the world, showed significant similarities in post-effort changes to haematologic variables of blood. The changes may have resulted from age or fitness of the subjects, different diagnostic methods applied, and from the mode of supplementation during the marathon, especially during its final parts. Conclusions. The results of the analysis of haematologic variables (conducted in this study and based on a blood test performed only several minutes after long-lasting effort had ended) of non-professional sportsmen of different ages can characterise well both the actual extent and direction of effort changes during the marathon. There is basis for devising morphological indicators of blood other than populational reference standards for non-professional marathon runners.
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