Marathon Heat

So yesterday's Chicago marathon was canceled, midway through, because of heat. The temperature reached 88, and about 300 runners had to be taken to the medical tent or the hospital because of the heat. One runner (from Michigan) died. (One runner also died in the Army 10-Miler here, yesterday, where it got into the 90s. The cause of death in that case has not been made public, but it was probably heat-related.)

Having run a number of marathons, at least one where the temperature by the end approached 80, I can say that the idea of a "fall" marathon needs some revision. With changes to the climate, the risk of an "extraordinarily hot" Sunday in the first week of October, in Chicago, is so great that they need to move the date, at least a few weeks into October. Now, that would bring the marathon into conflict with the Marine Corps and New York marathons, but that shouldn't matter all that much. Few runners are going to run more than one, after all.

Btw, the Philadelphia marathon, which is normally scheduled the week after Thanksgiving, is your best bet for seasonable weather. Unless, of course, it's super cold that weekend.