Of course, this was after the men’s race that had the hypothermia issues. Most of the men went off in singlet and shorts.
If I remember correctly, the heavy sleet started as the men were on the start line
Yeah, I was there and TBH I thought the men had it worse. The straight snow that the women had was not quite as bad. The guys were lightly dressed for the most part. I remember handing out socks for the guys to wear on their hands, just before the race.
Those two Cornell women did not win--I mean, Abby was running--but they finished 4-5 in the race IIRC and their #5 blitzed the last kilometer and sealed the team win.
Great win but a terrible day. I had six layers on my legs and really regretted not having another. I remember a Cornell coach saying that all they wanted to do was get out of Princeton and get back to Ithaca so they could warm up.
I'd rather have Olive Oyl on me than olive oil. The former is more fun than the latter but it results in a slower time time. Argh, argh, argh, argh, argh!
Cyclists use product called embrocation for winter races. It has the benefit of a barrier over the skin but also includes "warming" agents. Personally I hated the stuff, but its pretty commonly used and maybe applicable to running too. Just be careful getting it anywhere sensitive (everyone who's tried it has a bad embro story)!
Cyclists also refer to embrocation as "Belgian knee warmers." In high school (late 70s for me) our coach had us use "Atomic Balm" for cold weather XC and outdoor track races. It was basically extra-strength Ben Gay, with capsicum as a main ingredient and yeah, anyone who failed to thoroughly wash their hands after slathering it on had a bad embro story, usually involving urinating or touching their eyes.
Another poster here mused about the efficacy of using Pam cooking spray on running shoes to keep moisture and mud out; I don't know how that would work for running, but for years cyclocross racers have been spraying that stuff on their cleats and pedals to prevent mud from adhering in sloppy race conditions.
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