will I be affected by 5000 of elevation at start of marathon?

Yes, but not for long

safsafsdfdsd wrote:

I'm running one of these ridiculous marathons that starts on the top of a mountain and ends at the bottom. I live at sea level. The start is at 5000 feet. Should I expect to be winded at this elevation?

No

OK thank you. Sounds like it shouldn't be too bad, even if I do feel it a bit. I'm hoping losing 100 feet of elevation per mile at the beginning will help.

First 500m will be great! Five-hundred metres to 20K will be a bit stressful. You'll know in the long run you will be okay.

Im from 1000 feet. I can handle 5k just fine but i start to struggle hard at 7.5-8.5. However, from what i understand the loss of oxygen from 1000 to 5000 is the same as 5000 to 7500.

safsafsdfdsd wrote:

I'm running one of these ridiculous marathons that starts on the top of a mountain and ends at the bottom. I live at sea level. The start is at 5000 feet.

Why are you running it?

Depends, probably not. Most hobby joggers are no where near there VO2 max in a marathon, so you should be fine.

safsafsdfdsd wrote:

I'm running one of these ridiculous marathons that starts on the top of a mountain and ends at the bottom. I live at sea level. The start is at 5000 feet. Should I expect to be winded at this elevation?

Sounds like you're doing St George. I've done it a couple of times, it's a nice race. I didn't notice the elevation at all and I live in an area where we are at only 800ft. Just don't call it a PR and that the course is legit since the "downhills beat you up."

Yes, you will. The effects will probably make you cry like the little baby that you are. Don't forget your pacifier.

Altitude impacts less on downhills and flats, and more on uphills (higher O2 needs). Since the altitude is modest it probably won't be too bad.

westernbory wrote:

Altitude impacts less on downhills and flats, and more on uphills (higher O2 needs). Since the altitude is modest it probably won't be too bad.

Then why does the NCAA have altitude conversions for track?

Bigballer wrote:

westernbory wrote:

Altitude impacts less on downhills and flats, and more on uphills (higher O2 needs). Since the altitude is modest it probably won't be too bad.

Then why does the NCAA have altitude conversions for track?

We're talking marathon here. Do they have a marathon conversion?

I'm from sea level and have run at 5000'. I did not notice much difference until the end of the race when you are going all out. I raced a 5 miler though. Just everyday running I never really felt much but I do think I gained some benefits from training at 5000' for a month and half.

Could be a mental thing though.

Oh Please wrote:

safsafsdfdsd wrote:

I'm running one of these ridiculous marathons that starts on the top of a mountain and ends at the bottom. I live at sea level. The start is at 5000 feet. Should I expect to be winded at this elevation?

Sounds like you're doing St George. I've done it a couple of times, it's a nice race. I didn't notice the elevation at all and I live in an area where we are at only 800ft. Just don't call it a PR and that the course is legit since the "downhills beat you up."

Is it possible you didn't notice the altitude because- wait for it- you were running downhill? There is definitely some credence to the idea that they offset somewhat.

You will definitely feel it but shouldn't be overwhelmed by it. Since you likely can't be at altitude weeks before the race there's only 1 piece of advice that matters.

Do not go out too fast.

I know. It's only 5000 feet. But, you'd be surprised. My wife took months to adapt. It took me 2 weeks. It's different for everyone.

You will probably feel tapered, fresh, and fast while running downhill but don't ruin it by blasting off the first few miles. I'm guessing this is the Mt. Charleston race. I heard it's quite fast. Good luck!

Source: From sea level, currently live at 4800 ft. Frequently go back and forth.

You will wake up bright and early feeling GREAT your first morning. Then you will start out at your marathon pace and your HR will instantly be 15% higher and you will PAY.

Think of it like squeezing toothpaste out of the tube. Once you squeeze it out, you can't put it back in.

more importantly why would you do this?

if it's for a BQ, it'll ultimately be a hollow achievement. you can't count it as a PR. are you going to win it and take home some cashola?

Probably. I'm a sea-level trainer. I ran one that started at about 5300 feet and dropped to about 4100 feet over the first 5 miles. Flat after that. It most definitely affected me once I got to the flat section. It felt harder than it should have given the pace. I did not 'fly' down the initial 5 miles either. A few months later I ran another flat marathon at sea level and was about 8 minutes faster. I don't think all of that was due to the elevation though.