Physical exercise appears to affect both blood magnesium status and erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) concentration. Concentrations of erythrocyte and plasma magnesium (ErMg and PlMg) and erythrocyte 2,3-DPG were measured three times over a period of 2 months in a group of 11 athletes who were training for a marathon. The concentration of 2,3-DPG was found to be significantly increased at the end of the 1st month (P < 0.05) compared to its level at the beginning of the study. However, at the end of the 2nd month, it was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than at the end of the 1st month. This decrease might have been due to the reduction in the intensity of training, despite an increase in the training distance. Both ErMg and PlMg did not change significantly after the 1st and 2nd months of training. However, the decrease of total circulating magnesium, i.e., whole blood magnesium was significant, after both the 1st and 2nd months. This decrease may have been due to an increased loss of magnesium or to a shift of magnesium from the blood to other compartments. We observed a significant negative correlation between ErMg and 2,3-DPG after the 1st month: r = -0.59, P < 0.05. We hypothesized that this inverse relationship might have been due to the sympathetic stimulation secondary to physical stress. Furthermore, in view of the mechanism of binding ErMg and 2,3-DPG by haemoglobin, the negative correlation between ErMg and 2,3-DPG might have been due to the relative tissue hypoxia that accompanies aerobic exercise.