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Heat A Hurdle For Sunday's Marathon Runners

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Oct 4, 2007 6:48 pm US/Central

Heat A Hurdle For Sunday's Marathon Runners

Unseasonably Warm Weather Will Cause Runners To Change Their Pacing, Experts Say

Reporting
Mai Martinez
CHICAGO (CBS) ― The city is setting up to deal with the traffic congestion and athletes are preparing for the heat.

As CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, there are adjustments forced all around because of 80-degree temperatures in the forecast for LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon runners on Sunday.

The race runners have been training for for months is finally just days away, and Thursday marathon organizers announced a record 45,000 runners are registered to run.

Many runners say they're looking forward to the race, but not the weather.

"The ideal weather is usually 50, 52 degrees, so anywhere from 45 to 60 would be fine," said 1992 winner Linda Somers Smith. "Anything over 60, and then if you're talking 80s it's just a whole different ballgame."

Smith and other elite runners say the heat will make for a much different race, with runners slowing down to pace themselves and prevent injuries.

"One of the critical things any runner has is how do they transfer heat out of their body when they exercise?" said 1982 winner Greg Meyer. "When it's hot and humid, you can't. You have to slow down. Your body just can't function. It's like driving a car with no fluid in the radiator. It overheats."

Runners like Kevin Quinlan, who have been training in the heat, feel they might have an advantage.

"I'm a little bit used to it," Quinlan said. "As long as you keep hydrated, should be OK."

Veteran runners say that's the best advice for anyone planning to run Sunday's race.

"They do a great job with all of the aid stations, but people have to be smart enough to stop and take water," Meyer said.

Runners say even though the weather won't be ideal for them, they're glad the 1.5 million spectators expected to watch the race on Sunday will at least have a beautiful day.


(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.