Chicago Marathon weather not looking great, other options?

Runrincerepeat wrote:

David S. Pumpkins wrote:

Wait...is GR really all you can drink free craft beer afterwards? I might have found my 2018 marathon plan...

Sounds like my kind of race! Wonder if it's all craft or if they have PBR and Natty Light as well.

Grand Rapids is home to Founders, Brewery Vivant, Perrin... Maybe you don't know those if you don't live near MI, but you don't need Natty if you can have those for free. Natty's only advantage is price, and no price beats free.

It is all craft. The race even brews their own called Mile 29 or something like that. New Holland Brewery supply's the beer and it is 3 or 4 of their popular. (No Dragon Milk though!)

Global warming is an Expensive Hoax, so don't expect it to actually be hot in October in Chicago.

And here is some other genius advice from LR Posers after another hot Chicago race (this has happened before!?!?). Plan for the weather and be more conservative: But if the heat affects your race time, you are a wimp.

Good luck.

GR hobby jogger wrote:

It is all craft. The race even brews their own called Mile 29 or something like that. New Holland Brewery supply's the beer and it is 3 or 4 of their popular. (No Dragon Milk though!)

Pretty sure Dragon's Milk after a marathon would WRECK me anyway. That might be an ashamedly one-and-done situation...

David S. Pumpkins wrote:

Runrincerepeat wrote:

Sounds like my kind of race! Wonder if it's all craft or if they have PBR and Natty Light as well.

Grand Rapids is home to Founders, Brewery Vivant, Perrin... Maybe you don't know those if you don't live near MI, but you don't need Natty if you can have those for free. Natty's only advantage is price, and no price beats free.

I know all about that all day IPA. Really good post warm weather run. .. sell it across street from my work.

Gravy wrote:

feldman wrote:

I can't stand racing in the heat more than anyone, but this forecast isn't that bad. In fact, there's a better than 50/50 chance the weather for any other potential race would be worse. Dew points in the 40's and temps in the 50's to start. That's pretty damn good.

That's close to last year, which had nearly perfect conditions. You need a better excuse if you're bailing.

This....

you guys need to sack up and quit looking for an excuse.

I think the world marathon record holder Kimetoo is running Chicago so if it's good enough for him to go sub 2:35 it should be good enough for you

Chicago seems to flirt with hot marathon weather every year. They should move back towards the end of October. I don't know why they moved it up in the first place because people are still going to run even if it's a little cold because it's THE FRICKIN CHICAGO MARATHON.

Buck guy wrote:

I'm shooting for Columbus 10/15 and there is almost no chance it will sell out, making it possible to register on race weekend after you've confirmed good weather. My fall back is the Hamilton, Ontario Marathon 3 weeks later - another fast course, medium size with reasonably priced registration and hotels. Both races are geographically advantageous for you.

Inland Trail Marathon in Ohio is a small, low priced marathon one may sign up as late as the day of the race. Proceeds go to a local charity cause. Parking is within about 500 feet of the start/finish line. They open up a school for packet pickup the morning of the race. I ran it last year and ran my fastest race of three there. Only 50-some in the marathon but starts with half marathon runners. Only one hill on the course which is a bridge/overpass. Most of the course is out and back on former rail bed so it is very flat. Last year it was 37 degrees at the start and low 60's by the time I finished. I ran with someone who dropped down from the marathon to a half marathon distance at Columbus because he said Columbus was too hot for him to be able to get a BQ time. He and I got BQ times at the Inland Marathon. Mine was about 14 minutes faster than my early September marathon BQ time on a flat course but with temperature reaching the low to mid 70's. Inland is not a marathon for elite runners who want a competitive field but it is a good choice for those in Ohio and neighboring states that want a last minute marathon option with a low cost and flat course where the weather is likely to be cool. I am running Chicago Marathon for the first time this year. After loosing 10 weeks of training after Boston due to back issues I am just glad to be able to run Chicago and will not worry too much about my time. It was very warm at Boston and my time there was very good for me, a hobby jogger in his 50's. I will probably run the Inland Trail Marathon too if I recover in time and if the weather forecast is good.

vivalarepublica wrote:

Chicago seems to flirt with hot marathon weather every year. They should move back towards the end of October. I don't know why they moved it up in the first place because people are still going to run even if it's a little cold because it's THE FRICKIN CHICAGO MARATHON.

+1

I'm with you. This is my third Chicago Marathon and the third time it will be in hot weather ( including the infamous race in 2007 when they stopped the marathon after it had already started). I'm going to Chicago and running because it's my favourite marathon, but looking at racing the Hamilton (Ontario) marathon because it's a fast course and usually has perfect weather.

Canada Girl wrote:

I'm with you. This is my third Chicago Marathon and the third time it will be in hot weather ( including the infamous race in 2007 when they stopped the marathon after it had already started). I'm going to Chicago and running because it's my favourite marathon, but looking at racing the Hamilton (Ontario) marathon because it's a fast course and usually has perfect weather.

No, don't run Hamilton. It is a fast course due to the downhill, but it is a joke because it is one of those that starts the half later and the faster marathoners have to weave their way through the slower/ walker half runners at the finish. I went to watch a friend one year and the 2:20 winner went completely unnoticed as he was jammed behind all of the walkers trying to fight his way around. It's a shame because it does have potential, but they seem to change the course every year and there is weird out and back portions near the end, always confusion as to who is actually done.

Philly or Richmond are both great events. Not perfectly flat, but fair and well organized, unlike Hamilton.

OP, stick with Chicago. Consider Philly or Richmond iff necessary.

When did Fukuoka become 2:35? (I thought it was 2:40 -- or is that the cutoff time during the race itself.)As for your dilemma, I would not mess around with your current taper in case the forecast improves and would not extend the taper for a race a couple weeks out. If it's hot, DNS or make it a long training run and then run CIM or Philly after getting a month plus of good training in.

Looking p warm and shitty

SUN

OCT 8

PM Showers

77°/59°

40%

SSW 12 mph

Humidity 59%

Indy Monumental or Columbus Ohio

Chicagorunner69 wrote:

Looking p warm and shitty

SUN

OCT 8

PM Showers

77°/59°

40%

SSW 12 mph

Humidity 59%

High of 74 according to National Weather Service but it won't hit even 70 until roughly 11:30 AM. I hope to finish around 10:45 AM when it may be under 68.

The relative humidity will be much higher than 59 at the start according to the below forecast.

Nation Weather Service

Hour (CDT)

05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03 04

Temperature (°F)

57 57 58 60 62 65 68 71 73 74 74 73 72 71 69 68 67 66 65 64 63 61 60 59

Relative Humidity (%)

83 83 80 75 70 63 59 53 49 48 50 51 55 57 61 63 65 68 70 70 72 78 78 80

Amazing that they can make such predictions so far out. Even more amazing if they are right.

All in all, imperfect weather; but not terrible. We are talking dew points in the low to mid 50s during the relevant times and a combined temp and dew point from just under 120 to the mid 120s. Unless your coming from Saskatchewan, you've probably been dealing with worse all summer.

Some decent cloud cover would go a long way, but I'm starting to see sunny skies being forecasted.

dewpoint looks relatively low all day. temps will be up, but not until later in the day, as you noted. i still don't think 60-65 is ideal, but definitely not as bad as some fear.

we'll have to see how the forecast evolves.

Smoove wrote:

Amazing that they can make such predictions so far out. Even more amazing if they are right.

All in all, imperfect weather; but not terrible. We are talking dew points in the low to mid 50s during the relevant times and a combined temp and dew point from just under 120 to the mid 120s. Unless your coming from Saskatchewan, you've probably been dealing with worse all summer.

Some decent cloud cover would go a long way, but I'm starting to see sunny skies being forecasted.

Should be a very pleasant day for spectators. Have you figured out where you will be stationed along the course?