Background
Previous MRI and US studies have shown the existence of functional and biochemical alterations in the myocardium after prolonged endurance exercise, demonstrating transient diastolic dysfunction [1]. Simultaneous transient increases of cTnT and NT-proBNP biomarkers have been reported [2, 3] without focal necrosis identified by delayed enhancement imaging, probably due to a cytosolic's dropping of biomarkers rather than destruction of myocytes. Inflammation, microstructural & functional modifications caused by extreme loading conditions, have never been explored using quantitative MRI.