Does running change your heart? Emory University will study some of this year’s runners at The AJC Peachtree Road race to find out.

Among the tens of the thousands who are running the race, 80 are taking part in a heart study, to see if running changes the heart. Participants range in age from 18 to 70 years old.

"We feel that runners of the Peachtree are more reflective of people out there in the general population who like to exercise," says Dr. Jonathon Kim a sports cardiologist with the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute.

"We know that exercise is medicine and that it’s good for you, but we are still learning about the effects of exercise on the heart, particularly how exercise impacts the efficiency and mechanics of the heart,” says Kim.

Researchers will assess the impact of age, gender and fitness level on cardiac function after completing a moderate, but exhaustive, endurance exercise event. Kim says he thinks pre and post-race results will show changes in heart function. Researchers will look to see if faster, fitter people get more protective effects from regular exercise than people who are less fit.  The final results may not be available for a year.