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Heat stops Chicago marathon

Posted on Oct 7th 2007 8:30PM by Bethany Sanders

Filed Under: Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

The unusually high October heat wreaked havoc on runners at the Chicago marathon today. Three hundred marathoners were treated for heat-related conditions and tragically, one runner collapsed and died during the race. Temperatures soared to an unnatural 88 degrees with oppressive humidity, and four hours into the marathon, race organizers called it off.

Fall is usually a great time for outdoor exercise with its cool crisp days. But until someone tells the weather that autumn has officially arrived, it might as well be summer outside. Be careful out there.

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Tags: Chicago marathon, ChicagoMarathon, exercising outside, ExercisingOutside, running, running in hot weather, RunningInHotWeather

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mark 10-09-2007 @ 8:44AM

Yes, it was brutally hot, but many more would have had the chance to finish had proper hydration been provided. I was running just-under ten minute miles and the problems appeared early on when the second water stop had been taken away already as I ran by it. The water stations I did see were poorly organized as there appeared to be no one managing them. The first tables at stops had their water supplies exhausted yet the empty tables where still in place littered with empty water jugs. Runners were gathered around them looking for liquids only to find that water was at the second, third or fourth tables at the stop. Seems to me that between 14 and 18 miles there was not water at all (Thank God for the locals in Pilsen and their garden hoses). I witnessed other stops with water but no cups. I was forced to take short cuts before/around 20 miles to avoid the police and workers telling everyone the race was cancelled and urged to walk to buses. I lost a few miles with impromtu sidesteps to the actual course and am left feeling disappointed today.
I feel it is the race planners who failed to prepare for the heat problems -- not the runners -- many of who had done long training runs in hotter weather in Chicago and were supported successfully along the lakefront.