Notice how I said "majority". You and the Trib found an outlier. I'd say that the vast majority who are hitting the half at 3:45 or slower, even on a hot day at Chicago, are those in their 30s and 40s and not those who are in their 50s-80s.
Notice how I said "majority". You and the Trib found an outlier. I'd say that the vast majority who are hitting the half at 3:45 or slower, even on a hot day at Chicago, are those in their 30s and 40s and not those who are in their 50s-80s.
tigercc wrote:
I saw a women
"woman"
popeye doyle wrote:
just got back--holy crap what carnage. just brutal.
Yeah, I just talked with a friend who ran it, along with a big bunch of non-elite-but-serious runners from my area. Several wound up in the medical tent for extended periods, several dnf'ed, and everyone ran times that would normally embarrass them. It must have been truly, truly brutal.
(And yes, these are folks who trained hard through the summer's heat.)
What's the normal course closure time for Chicago? Is the course really supposed to be open for more than 7.5 or 8 hours? If they normally shut down the course at 8 hours and do a rolling closure as that pace hits certain points of the course, then they were only closing the course 1/2 hour (15 minutes at the half) early, anyway. Conceding an entire 1/2 hour (if the course is usually open for 8 hours in normal weather) to that kind of weather is no big deal.
They shut the entire course down at 11:45, not just those who hadn't reached halfway. I was pacing my wife to about a 4:45 finish, and we were pulled off.
Most water stops were out of water and gatorade. Half were out of cups, and runners were using dirty ones off the ground. Literally. It was that bad.
Oprah ran a 4:29 at the Marine Corps Marathon...nothing to ridicule.
Oh, I see now. The Tribune article has been updated. Nevermind, then!
That's cool, 4:30+ marathoners aren't really running, anyway, and are nonessential to the sport.
Another Chicago Runner wrote:
They shut the entire course down at 11:45, not just those who hadn't reached halfway. I was pacing my wife to about a 4:45 finish, and we were pulled off.
Most water stops were out of water and gatorade. Half were out of cups, and runners were using dirty ones off the ground. Literally. It was that bad.
Tommy Skillethead wrote:
never mind...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-71007marathon-short-story,0,7788754.story?coll=chi_home_util...a good move, I think.
"Why did they cancel it at Mile 20? Couldn't they cancel it at Mile 5," said Arzu Karimova, 28, a market researcher from Chicago. "I put my entire summer into this. My entire marathon is gone. I'll never have another first marathon experience."
The "official" story seems to change every 20 minutes or so. This all seems sort of pathetic now. Too bad after such a great finish for the men's and women's winners.
Another Chicago Runner wrote:
They shut the entire course down at 11:45, not just those who hadn't reached halfway. I was pacing my wife to about a 4:45 finish, and we were pulled off.
Most water stops were out of water and gatorade. Half were out of cups, and runners were using dirty ones off the ground. Literally. It was that bad.
The Tribune must be reporting lies, then.
"Those who had passed the halfway point around noon were permitted to continue and had access to all aid stations and medical assistance."
awesome quote: wrote:
Tommy Skillethead wrote:never mind...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-71007marathon-short-story,0,7788754.story?coll=chi_home_util...a good move, I think.
"Why did they cancel it at Mile 20? Couldn't they cancel it at Mile 5," said Arzu Karimova, 28, a market researcher from Chicago. "I put my entire summer into this. My entire marathon is gone. I'll never have another first marathon experience."
The story has been changed since I posted the link and comment. No, I don't think it was a good move to force Arzu and other runners in that situation off the course.
Tommy Skillethead wrote:
The "official" story seems to change every 20 minutes or so. This all seems sort of pathetic now. Too bad after such a great finish for the men's and women's winners.
I'm confused, too - I just took a look at the results, and found plenty of 4:30+ times. I suspect it was pretty chaotic out there.
Only 4,000 finishers out of the 36,000 field, according to the Tribune article!
Chicago Marathon cut short
By Josh Noel, Shannon Ryan and Neil Milbert | Tribune staff reporters
2:25 PM CDT, October 7, 2007
At around 12:10 p.m., near the 20-mile marker at Halsted Street and Cermak Avenues, a Chicago firefighter announced over a public address system: "Attention runners, the marathon has been canceled. You can stop running, now."
Runners' efforts were applauded with a sporadic "good job" as another firefighter stood in the middle of the street hosing down participants.
With temperatures soaring to a record-high 88 degrees, the course closed at the halfway point at about 11:50 a.m. -- almost four hours after the race started.
The news was met with disappointment and relief as many had succumbed to the heat.
"It's a blessing, man," said Nestor Benanidez, 40, of Maryland. "I'd have liked the opportunity but it's brutally hot." Benanidez, who trained 18 weeks for his first marathon, said he had already started walking when the race was called.
"Why did they cancel it at Mile 20? Couldn't they cancel it at Mile 5," said Arzu Karimova, 28, a market researcher from Chicago. "I put my entire summer into this. My entire marathon is gone. I'll never have another first marathon experience."
Most people heeded the advice but a few stubborn runners continued down Archer Avenue, which was littered with cups, water, sponges and bottles. The fire hydrants along the route were also open.
The decision to halt the marathon was based on the slow times of runners. Those who had passed the halfway point around noon were permitted to continue and had access to all aid stations and medical assistance.
Many runners said there were problems with water and fluids at the race stations.
Marathon officials estimate about 4,000 runners out of the original 36,000 finished the full distance.
"I'm a school teacher. I don't like dropping out," said Joan Berman, 70, of Ann Arbor, Mich., who called it quits at the 8-mile mark. "But I know when to have to take a recess."
Berman has run 17 marathons, seven in Chicago, all since turning 60.
or you have a firefighter at mile 20 who wasn't paying attention to what was said over the radio and made that incorrect announcement. i've heard conflicting things from people at the 18 miles and later - some were told to get off the course, others said they were told they could stay on. i think the problem is that not everyone got the message that the course was supposed to be closed at 13 miles, not later.
the official website stated that those past 13.1 would be allowed to continue, but the rest sent to grant park. apparently, that did not happen.
I have a teammate who finished with a 4:20 clock, 4:10 chip time. No indication of place, however.
Is the report of two deaths so far, true? Haven't found anything official.
I just got back from running the race. Ran 3:46. One hour slower than what I ran the last two years. The conditions were brutal. I tried to be conservative and run 3:05 pace, but I still blew up. I had hydrated all week, hit every water station along the way, and walked a lot in the second half and still ended up in the medical tent with a fluid IV in my arm. As I was leaving the tent they were just getting slammed with people who needed help. It was crazy. They didn't have enough wheelchairs or ambulances for what transpired.
I've run Boston every year since 2003, and the heat in 2004 was nothing like it was today. The sun was hot in Boston but thast wasn't like today's heat.
The humidity was just brutal. Even when you were in the shade it was bad. I bagged it at the 13 mile mark and saw a few guys and women on the other side of the street in top 100 bibs doing the same. This was not a day to try and be a hero if you weren't feeling up to it.