ClimateForward: "A Marathon Runner’s Hard Lesson," by David Gelles.
"In March, temperatures soared past 80ºF, or ~ 27ºC, during the Los Angeles Marathon." With runners wilting...organizers decided to hand out finisher medals to anyone wishing to stop at the 18-mile mark.
"First October weekend of 2023, the Twin Cities Marathon, [in Minnesota], was canceled at the last minute as temperatures were predicted to climb past 90ºF, the area’s hottest-ever October day." Starting next year, the race will be held later in the month, making it the largest U.S. marathon so far to make a climate-related scheduling change.
"Across Europe this summer, a heat wave led to canceled marathons in France + Wales." Climate Central, a nonprofit organization that studies global warming, conducted an analysis of 221 marathons globally and found that the odds of racing in cool, optimal temperatures are already slim, just 27% on average, + are quite likely to shrink in the years ahead.
"It’s not only the heat that is disrupting race days." Floods, fires + storms, all of which are being made more intense because of human-caused global warming, are also wreaking havoc on organized runs, as well as training.
"This fall, runners in a half-marathon in Paramus, N.J., found themselves wading through waist-deep water as a flash flood inundated the course." Sounds more like a biathlon than a marathon to me. Have you ever had to run in wet shoes?
"Near Moab, Utah, this month, a 240-mile footrace was called off after the forecast called for severe storms." About 70 runners + race volunteers had to be rescued from the desert, according to local news reports.
"This year, wildfires prompted cancellations of races across the American West + Canada, including the Fat Dog 120 in British Columbia, the Elkhorn Crest 50 in Oregon + Silver Rush 50 in Colorado." In September, the Kuching Marathon in Malaysia was canceled because of haze from wildfires.
"An Ironman event near Barcelona was canceled in early October because of concerns over severe weather." The Kauai Marathon in Hawaii, scheduled for Sept. 6, was called off because of Hurricane Lowell.
I'm willing to be there aren't many marathoners who doubt climate change. I say that as I completed such a marathon that got to over 90ºF before I staggered across the finish line + then vomited again.
That was decades ago, now I know the responsibility lies with fossil fuel industries.