I distinctly remember Priscilla Welch mentioning that she had heat trained so well that she was shivering on the start line despite the heat. I want to say she said it was '85 degrees..
Likely there was considerable variation throughout the race but it certainly looked hot in all the wrong places.
How hot was it really during the 1984 Olympic women's marathon?
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Worth noting that Joanie's time is still an American best for the Olympic marathon, I believe.
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So how did a woman from Maine train for the heat?
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there in spirit wrote:
I distinctly remember Priscilla Welch mentioning that she had heat trained so well that she was shivering on the start line despite the heat. I want to say she said it was '85 degrees..
Likely there was considerable variation throughout the race but it certainly looked hot in all the wrong places.
I was there in LA all summer as Alberto Salazar’s training partner and a Nike Ekin. The day of the womens marathon i was responsible for driving Joanie out to the start in Santa Monica. In the excitement of the moment she forgot her preferred racing flat, the Air Mariah. I had to drive back to USC Nike house to pick them up and return to Santa Monica with less than 30 minutes to race time. The weather was 67 at the start and high 70s by the finish in LA Memorial Coleseum. -
YMMV wrote:
So how did a woman from Maine train for the heat?
Overdressing works anywhere. John Treacy collapsed in Moscow and after learning that lesson he overdressed in training starting in March.
People from non hot weather areas often do heat training better. Folks from hot areas often do everything to avoid the heat and it becomes a habit. -
It was warmer for the men's marathon in 84, by a considerable amount.
I'm in LA, and MUCH prefer running from 8-10 a.m. or so, than from 5-7 p.m. or so, in early- to mid-August. -
Temperature can be very localized. Observe the sweat on Joan. It was hotter in her vicinity.
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dew point over 60 is not 'great' running weather... not horrible, but not great
it was very sunny during much of the race - distinct shadows clearly visible in many photos -
Don't underestimate Maine's heat and humidity. Pick the hottest part of a late spring or summer day and you don't need to go anywhere else to heat train.
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YMMV wrote:
So how did a woman from Maine train for the heat?
Same way runners at Mammoth Lake, CA trained for the heat in Athens in 2004. Overdress.
Did Joanie go to some place to train? I know she was recovering, famously, from knee surgery. All in all an amazing win. -
Not the question, but ... wrote:
It was warmer for the men's marathon in 84, by a considerable amount.
I'm in LA, and MUCH prefer running from 8-10 a.m. or so, than from 5-7 p.m. or so, in early- to mid-August.
no doubt-I remember watching the men's marathon and it was real attrition---a lot of favourites struggled in the heat besides Al Sal such as Seko and Deke (won Rotterdam in '83 and Helsinki worlds)-yet Charlie Spedding ran sub 2:10 and medalled! -
I remember watching the race on TV. Very very sunny. Hot pavement, bright sun, no shade to hide in. I had met Joan before that . She’s small, and looked so kind and pleasant, but was famously tough. Super tough. And her toughness in the Trials before should have depleted her, ruined her for the main event. But not her. When she took the lead it was no false move. She knew she could tough it out, that that was likely her best option. And she did. Great race. Great runner. Great person.
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Boston40 wrote:
With no disrespect to anyone, I still believe Joni was our best women's runner. Thanks again for the series. It's been fun to review those old races.
You are correct.
And it's not close. -
paul72 wrote:
Not the question, but ... wrote:
It was warmer for the men's marathon in 84, by a considerable amount.
I'm in LA, and MUCH prefer running from 8-10 a.m. or so, than from 5-7 p.m. or so, in early- to mid-August.
no doubt-I remember watching the men's marathon and it was real attrition---a lot of favourites struggled in the heat besides Al Sal such as Seko and Deke (won Rotterdam in '83 and Helsinki worlds)-yet Charlie Spedding ran sub 2:10 and medalled!
Spedding typically ran sub 2:10. -
I have fond memories of watching the race with my dad, who as a Vermont dairy farmer normally did not have time for things like hours-long foot races. This was the Olympics however. So he sat with me when the race started. He became enthralled during the broadcast and had tears in his eyes by the end. Then it was 'Hooray for the Maine girl!' Very good times.
I too remember how focused and machine- like JB ran. But there was one point where she did crack a big smile. If I'm not mistaken someone on the course was waving a large Bowdoin College flag. (Maybe a Polar Bear on the board can confirm.) -
kiowavt wrote:
I remember watching the race on TV. Very very sunny. Hot pavement, bright sun, no shade to hide in. I had met Joan before that . She’s small, and looked so kind and pleasant, but was famously tough. Super tough. And her toughness in the Trials before should have depleted her, ruined her for the main event. But not her. When she took the lead it was no false move. She knew she could tough it out, that that was likely her best option. And she did. Great race. Great runner. Great person.
btw, @kiowavt I believe we have a Hamilton / green river connection -
It was so hot she ran an extra lap at the end to cool down.
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I really enjoyed your article and went searching and found some good footage. At 5:44 you see Joan running on a freeway and get a sense of how far ahead she was. I had to work, delivering pizzas that day and missed the race, not seeing any coverage beyond the newspaper the following morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HU2FGc0mOE
