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This weekend is a prime example of extreme Texas weather. On Friday the temperature was hanging around 75 degrees. Then on Sunday morning it was struggling to reach 25 degrees. That is a 50 degree temperature change in one day. For runners that creates a few problems for getting the correct clothes to wear for weekend races.
On Saturday morning a pair of shorts and a tee shirt or tank top will be perfect. Then on Sunday morning the long tights, a long sleeved light jacket, gloves, and a sock cap are the better wear. There are a few runners that can handle cold temperatures and will stick to the tee shirt and shorts. I have seen a few of these runners after the race and the skin is a nice rosy red, the nose is a brighter red and since they are now standing still instead of running they may have the shakes.
I did the Dallas White Rock one year when the starting temperature was 32 degrees. I had a T-shirt, shorts, cotton gloves, and a wool sock cap for clothes. I was cold for the first mile but between body heat and the temperature moving upwards as the race progressed it turned out just right. Fortunately, I had a friend that had some warm ups ready for me after I finished the race.
The cold temperature can be handled best in 5K and 10K distances. Half marathons and marathon distances tend to have some problems. The runner may not notice it in the early part of the race, but the body uses up some energy trying to keep the body warm. The last half of the race may find them much more tired than usual. Energy that the runner counted on for the last half may be partially used up from trying to keep the body warm.
For race volunteers the key to sticking it out for the entire race is to dress warm. In a marathon a volunteer stationed near the end of the race will be standing out in the cold for close to five hours. Half marathon volunteers can count on a time of around three hours of standing in cold. When I talked to volunteers for a scheduled race on a cold and windy day I would emphasize that warm clothes are necessary. For some reason, usually the younger volunteers, it is not “cool” to dress warm. After 30 minutes of standing out on a lonely road in a light shirt and shorts they do have a “cool” look. Some turn a little pink, and others actually take on a light blue color. I try to avoid asking them, “How are you doing?” as I check out the course during the race. The blue color on the skin pretty much tells me that they are very cold. I tell them “Thanks for volunteering and we really appreciate your time.”
For race directors the need for one, or two, extra volunteers is necessary. This is especially true for the longer races like half marathons and marathons. The volunteers follow the last runner and pick up all the discarded sweat shirts, jackets, plastic garbage bags, hats, gloves, and occasionally a brand new warm up. They gather all the clothes up and take them back to the finish area. Some of the discarded clothes are top dollar warm ups and others are still going to be there after everybody has gone home. Usually a runner will stop by after the race and ask if anybody picked up discarded clothes along the way. The volunteer asks for a description of the apparel and sorts through the pile of clothes to see if it turns up. For a smaller local race this is not much of a problem. When the race has several thousand runners entered the discarded clothes pile can take on some major size. Reports from race directors of the New York Marathon have a huge left over pile of warm up clothes.
For my half marathon I usually was able to turn over the discarded warm up. On occasion nobody asked for a nice warm up suit. I usually donated it to someone in need, or a non-profit organization to distribute.
When the average runner learns that the temperature will be below freezing the tendency is to pass on the run until later in the day hoping it will warm up. Some of the more adventurous runners will head out into the cold just to see what it is like. It is always a good story to tell another runner what a very cold run was like. I visited my folks in North Dakota one year and the temperature was below zero degrees. I couldn’t resist the chance to say I ran in below zero weather and bundled up and headed out. I had a hard time with the mask over the face to prevent breathing in cold air and keeping my footing from the ice under the snow. It was not a long run by any means. Maybe three miles, but it is a run that will stand out in my memory. I can’t imagine what the marathon runners dress like for the Antarctic Marathon down at the South Pole.
For all of those runners taking in the half marathon on Sunday I say, “Good Luck. Have a good race and hope you don’t get frost bite on the ears and cheeks.”
