Sue CHICAGO Marathon

Yup, marathons are not just for the self claimed elite. I ran a half-marathon once with a friend. She dropped at one the first of two loops. I decided to do the second half. Since I was slow the first half, there wasn't any water on the second. The temperature had climbed to over 90 F. Guess what, the first runners though drank twice as much water, leaving the half of the participants with nothing to drink. How greedy. Luckily for me several people watching the race made up for the greedy runners and offered whatever they could. I drank for more than a few garden hoses.So here's my advice to the front runners who could care less about the back half of the pack. Learn to share. Don't be greedy and then cry when your race gets canceled while you're still running.

Sheryl Crow wrote:

Do you think marathon organizers are putting these races together just for the competitive enjoyment of you sub3 guys? No! They do it for the money! 45000 entrants bring a lot of money with them before and after the race. You knock the number of entrants down to a few thousand and there's no financial incentive for a city the size of Chicago to commit resources and road closures.

I joined a friend for the last 6 miles, so I can only speak to that part of the course. She reached 35k at 4:00, so this is not exactly front running before water ran out. There WAS water and gatorade at all stops, and the fire department and a number of impromptu volunteers hosed people and handed out extra bottles. So it didn't seem as if the organizers didn't get enough supplies. I've never been that far back in the field, and yes it gets busy around water stations, but then many people are walking anyway, so plenty of time to hydrate.

I think the real issue, and a very legitimate reason for 'cancelling' the race was that ambulances and medical support were stretched to the breaking point. And ambulances are probably harder for the organizers to get by than water. It was good to 'stop' the race for that reason, even though my friend was mad about it at the time because she was still running along.

The conditions were just bad, worst I have seen anyway. I feel very lucky that I opted for NY this year. Kudos for everyone who made it through today.

And, give those slow runners a break! Exactly why should they not be allowed to run??? Why is running sub 4 or sub 5 hours not a legitiamte goal? Sure, many of them aren't experienced and so get into trouble in unusual conditions like today, but today I also saw much faster guys dropping out, going to medical tents and getting treated. I even wonder if slower runners are more prone to collapse once you take into account the base rate (how many people at each pace). Not sure what the answer is, just wondering...

DadX4 wrote:

This was just a bad luck day for Chicago. This kind of heat is fairly unusual for Oct. 7. That being said, I've always thought Chicago should move the Marathon back to the LAST Sunday in October. There is a much lower chance of HOT weather like this, and we all know, it can't be TOO cold in late October - even in the 30s would be great weather.

Actually I think "fairly unusual" is an overstatement. Can anyone remember when it was upper 80s near 90 in Chicago in OCTOBER.

Today in Louisville we recorded the highest October temperature EVER...EVER at 93 degrees. I've lived in this area all my life and can't ever remember 90 degrees in October. I can't ever remember this many 90+ days during the summer/fall. Basically, we've had no fall.

Alan

I think you meant UNDERSTATEMENT - Right.

goulet wrote:

I agree. If you lacked the foresight to figure out that it may have been a bad idea to run today AND you think someone else should pay, you should be blindfolded and beaten with a bag of hammers.

How would this so called bag of hammers work. Intriguing. I actually think the hammers are more effective in one's hand, but yeah I'll try anything once.

The finish line was fine, the guy that finished second was forcing the winner over. There was plenty of room on the other side. And for the women, the winner ran as far over to the right to avoid being seen by the leader.

BeenThereDoneThat wrote:

So here's my advice to the front runners who could care less about the back half of the pack. Learn to share. Don't be greedy and then cry when your race gets canceled while you're still running.

I can see your point, but this race isn't another neighborhood fun run. It is a major business event, and there are no excuses for running out of water.

I was taking 3-4 cups at every station, and I felt a bit guilty after hearing it ran out for some of the runners. But, I don't think the runners can be blamed.

Before the start, someone announced the race brought in extra fluids. He advised caution. Considering weather, I interpreted that speech as an endorsement for some water binging. If you paid $100 for an open bar on New Years and the bar manager announced he ordered extra booze, would you expect the bar to run out?

Also, the race organizers had plenty of time to prepare. Extreme weather was predicted for at least one week, and conditions have been exactly the same all week in IL. I expected that the organizers would adjust the plans accordingly.

why did they bring the race forward? isn't it usually

about 2 weeks later?

That was fantastic of you to do pre7564...you may indeed have helped far beyond you know.

Kudos to you. You were the man.

We all gonna die...

DadX4 wrote:

This was just a bad luck day for Chicago. This kind of heat is fairly unusual for Oct. 7. That being said, I've always thought Chicago should move the Marathon back to the LAST Sunday in October. There is a much lower chance of HOT weather like this, and we all know, it can't be TOO cold in late October - even in the 30s would be great weather.

Early on (the late 1970s and early 1980s) it was the last week of October. The complaint was it was too cold. They had snow one race and the complaints were so loud that they moved it up to early October.

Matybe they should run the race through the concourses of O'Hare, then weather will never be a problem.

I was lucky enough to be far enough ahead that I never had problems with water/gatorade, but to suggest that I should be thinking about conserving water for the people behind me is just riduculous. With the humidity like it was, pouring water over myself at every aid station is what helped keep me from being one of the people that had to drop out or seek help at a medical tent.

I am always amazed by the negative commentary on these boards. If you guys spent less time ripping others here and more on training and productive things you might not feel so angry.

I was at the race and ran only 18 miles, since i planned for the weather and altered my training. This is a great race every year and the elites show up for the moneyprovided by the 45000 mass runners. that finish was probably due to the weather, just like the one in London this year.

Everyone in that race deserved to be out there, tha fast runners don't have more of a right to the sport! I had friends out there who run sub 2:30 and some who couldn't do that in a half marathon. They are all marathoners because they take on the challenge.

The weather played a cruel trick on everyone yesterday, but it wasn't the organizers fault, maybe they could have changed the start time... but it was a fluke.

When I stopped running and headed beck to downtown there were people dropping from the race all around, some unconscious, but there were always people there to help, whether they were in uniform or just passers-by. I saw several peoples' lives saved by other runners and spectators. One man i met was on his way to the grocery, but spent the next 2 - 3 hours and his own money on ice for those who were down. There was a teenage boy and others running up and down the street helping others and directing ambulances. The emergency personel had more than they could handle but heroes showed up every where. A truly moving experience to witness.

midwesta wrote:

yeah, with 320 runners in the hospital and at least one of them dead, I'm pretty sure they have a good case for canceling the marathon. And more water alone would not have helped.

There aren't 320 runners in the hospital, ass clown there's about 50. Most of the people were treated on the race course.

Sue CHICAGO Marathon wrote:

Another fiasco. Last year they bungle the finish line. This year they bungled the logistics and distribution of water. I hope the IOC sees this ridiculous mismanagement and forgets about Chicago for the Olympics.

There are way too many unprepared and out-of-shape "marathoners" who enter into this. They can trot/walk without health issues in 50F weather... but the lack of conditioning literally threatens their lives when conditions are more challenging. This is 95% of the problem, IMO. I have coworkers who can't beat a 27 minute 5K, and have 25-30% bodyfat who enter it and finish in several hours.

If I enter an ironman triathlon unprepared, which I would be at this point, no way it's their fault for any health problems I may get.

Race preference is for beginning of October on a Sunday when the Bears are not scheduled to play. Last year the city asked for the marathon to date to be moved so that a large convention could be booked.

Check out the comments here from the Trib site.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/chicago-tribune/TNVO3RJL7GDEKCSHKThis one was particularly memorable:

...I crossed the start line around 8:27 and ran the first few miles in a reasonable 11:30-12 min pace. By the time I reached the second water stop (around mile 3.5), there was no water or gatorade at all. At the next water stop there was scarce water. I barely managed to find one cup of gatorade. At that point I felt like the victim of some natural disaster who had been left behind, begging for water...

ttc wrote:

There are way too many unprepared and out-of-shape "marathoners" who enter into this. They can trot/walk without health issues in 50F weather... but the lack of conditioning literally threatens their lives when conditions are more challenging. This is 95% of the problem, IMO.

A lot of well-trained, competitive runners wound up in the medical tents yesterday, too. It wouldn't surprise me if - as another poster speculated either on this or one of the other Chicago threads - there weren't (proportionately) MORE faster/more competitive runners collapsing. After all, we're the folks who are used to pushing ourselves on when our bodies are screaming "stop."

I didn't run Chicago yesterday, but I did once end up in an ambulance after collapsing near the finish of a 10K, and I can testify that heat exhaustion is an insidious thing. It messes with your judgment/cognitive abilities. In my case, the last thing I remember is slowing down a little in order to focus on running in a straight line. Turns out I was zigzagging all over the road, but when volunteers approached to ask if I was alright, I shook them off and kept going. Fortunately, someone was there to catch me just before I dropped to the pavement. The scary thing is, I remember NOTHING of this. Next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance with an IV in my hand and ice packs all around me.

I'm no world beater, and I've certainly done my share of dumb things in training and racing, but I'm no penguin and I'm not totally inexperienced. Those of you who are ragging on the folks who ran into trouble yesterday should just consider yourselves fortunate and shut up.

Many, many thanks to those who pitched in with ice and water for the Chicago runners. You're heroes in my book.

ttc wrote:

Sue CHICAGO Marathon wrote:

Another fiasco. Last year they bungle the finish line. This year they bungled the logistics and distribution of water. I hope the IOC sees this ridiculous mismanagement and forgets about Chicago for the Olympics.

There are way too many unprepared and out-of-shape "marathoners" who enter into this. They can trot/walk without health issues in 50F weather... but the lack of conditioning literally threatens their lives when conditions are more challenging. This is 95% of the problem, IMO. I have coworkers who can't beat a 27 minute 5K, and have 25-30% bodyfat who enter it and finish in several hours.

If I enter an ironman triathlon unprepared, which I would be at this point, no way it's their fault for any health problems I may get.

Interesting discussion. I have been involved with races in hotter conditions than this, and I agree 100% with ttc - the problem is the level of preparation of the runners. Marathons are held every year in hotter conditions and no one has problems, because they prepare specifically for the weather. Of course, it's no-one's fault that the hottest day in the race's history came along, and they were caught out.

But it's all about training. All this talk of 'life-threatening' and saving lives is also way too premature and dramatic. I know someone died and this is very sad, but let's wait on the autopsy before deciding it was heat related. And even then, heat kills so few people - most are just feeling lousy because they are not used to it.

Found an interesting article on the topic, talks about the impact of fitness on heat performance and also about how this kind of thing is often mis-diagnosed as heat injury when it's actually just feeling crap....

I agree with these guys - people just don't exercise to death, unless there is something wrong. More likely, they just die. And the big thing is, they should measure body temperature to really know, because unless your temperature is 104F or higher, you don't have heat illness, you just feel bad. Because your training wasn't appropriate for conditions.