What to expect at Boston on a “hot year”.

What to expect at Boston on a “hot year”.

Seeing the weather forecast I figured you could use my experience here.  Of the 14 Boston Marathons I have run, one, 2004, was a ‘hot year’.  Here’s what I learned.

The first wave now goes off at 10:00AM so the faster runners will get into the finish before it gets too hot.  Back in the day we all used to start at noon and it wouldn’t cool down until we dropped into Boston.

Boston is 5 degrees hotter than Hopkinton but there is also a usually a cooling breeze from the ocean.

The mid-packers will find it getting hotter as they progress and will be finishing in the hotter part of the day.  The last waves will get the worst of it.

There isn’t as much tree cover on the course as there used to be, but you can still find some sections of shade if you hug the shoulder of the road in places.

The organization at Boston is second to none.  They will be prepared.  There will be water and sports drink for all the runners – they won’t run out.

There are aid stations on both sides of the road and you can get multiple cups of fluid by switching sides.

Later in the race the roads will be fairly sloppy with fluids and cups due to the high volume.

Residents along the course, who have been doing this for over 100 years, will drag out garden hoses and all manner of ice cubes, popsicles, towels, etc.  A handful of ice in your hat is a great way to bring your core temp down.

Dress lightly and loosely.  White and other reflective colors work best to deflect the heat.  When it’s hot a white singlet is usually the best choice.  A light white hat is a good choice.  Many marathoners will cut slots in the top of the hat to let air flow out and let the water they pour on their heads in.

Don’t forget the sun screen.

Don’t forget the lube.  Wet clothing rubs and cuts more so than usual.  You may need to reapply your lube in the middle of the race.  There is a med tent on the right as you run down the hill into Newton Lower Falls at mile 16-17 where the volunteers hand out tongue depressors with petroleum jelly.

Blisters can be an issue.  Since you will be dumping water on yourself and getting sloshed on – your feet are going to get wet early and often.  Running on wet feet can cause blistering.  Wipe some extra lube onto any known hot spots and your feet in general under your sox.  If you feel a hot spot coming on you can get some extra petroleum jelly at the spot referred to above.

Consider taping troublesome toes but remember they are going to get wet so the tape may come off in your shoe if you’re not careful.

The same is true of any adhesives that you are using on your body, whether Band-Aids or KT-Tape.  The extra sweat and water is going to make them fall off.

Drink early and often.

By now you are all smart enough not to just drink straight water and kill yourself with hyponatremia. Make sure to take at least a one-to-one ratio of sports drink and water.  Salt tablets are probably a good idea, 2-3 per hour.   I wouldn’t worry too much about gels or other nutrition because your gut is going to be struggling with trying to process all those fluids and dealing with a high core temp.

You will be nauseous from all the drinking and sweating.

For you 2^nd and 3^rd wave folks…As the race progresses people are going to start staggering off the course.  After heart break hill you will see a few people drop every mile.  The sweating is going to cause cramping in those who don’t balance their intake and they will fall.  It’s up to you whether you want to lend a hand but keep your head up because they tend to zig-zag for awhile before they go down.

The last couple miles will look like a zombie migration movie.

The finish line is ugly.  You still need to walk a couple blocks to get your stuff and get out of the finish area.  Don’t sit down unless you want to go to the med tent.  The med tents will be doing a good business and if you feel like you need a bag of saline – then by all means have a seat.

With the heat and the over-worked guts people will be throwing up at the finish.  Don’t hang around.  Get your medal and keep moving.  As soon as one person throws up it starts a chain reaction.

Get to your hotel room and start rehydrating.  I know you’re nauseous, but force yourself to eat a banana or pretzels soon so your stomach has something to work on.

At the end of the day you need to let your time goals go.  Even if you run well you are going to be 15-30 minutes off of your planned race pace.  Don’t kill yourself.  Live to fight another day.

That’s it.  Have fun.  I’ll see you out there.

Chris,