A graduate student in the MD/PhD program of Harvard/MIT division of health, Benjamin Rapoport, realized that the phenomenon of 'hitting the wall' while running a marathon was an effect of a body not storing enough carbs. He decided to create a mathematical model to try to determine a formula for the carbohydrates that someone should store before running a marathon. There have been several reports in the news lately of this very useful application of mathematics. It seems as though Benjamin was inspired by his love of running marathons (he has run 18) and his background in the health sciences and mathematics.
His model allowed a group to build an 'endurance calculator' to determine safe running speeds over long distances.
NPR,
New Scientist
Outlook Series.
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