Boston Marathon a go despite weather

[racefan8]

The "Perfect Storm" has been brewing off the coast of Boston, just in time for the elite Boston Marathon. This marathon is not one you can just enter by filling out a form. You must qualify on time at previous marathons done within the last 12 months. It is a fast race, most runners finishing well under 3 hours. It is the race that every runner dreams of running. If you qualify for it, your world stops and your focus becomes training for Boston. There are two women in my running club who qualified last summer in Hawaii and they've been training hard ever since.

Today, after months of preparation, they are facing elements they could not have imagined. This from the official website:
"The Boston Athletic Association's medical team recommends the following precautions and advice for participants in Monday's Boston Marathon:
FORECAST: The most up-to-date weather forecast calls for a predicted Spring storm on Monday, including heavy rains (potentially 3 to 5 inches), with the start temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Wind will likely be East (in the face of the participants for most of the race) in the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, with gusts to as much as 50 miles per hour. This will produce a wind chill index of 25 to 30-degrees Fahrenheit.

RISKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RUNNERS PARTICIPATING IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS: Combined with the rain, we are concerned that predicted weather conditions will increase the runners' risks for a condition called hypothermia. As with any athletic competition, as a runner you are assuming the risks inherent with participation. It is your responsibility to be informed about the risks associated with running in the aforementioned conditions, and the risks of injury or illness will increase with these predicted conditions.

While exercising in cold weather, our bodies attempt to maintain core temperature by shunting blood away from the periphery, thus minimizing heat loss. Hypothermia sets in when the body's temperature drops below normal, starting when the body loses heat faster than heat can be generated. Heat is produced by muscle action and shivering. Very low body temperatures can be life threatening. "

And so they begin... Good luck runners!!

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...C-RSSFeeds0312

[ZeoBandit]

That's the way marathons should be run (With the exception of the hypothermia part. That isn't cool)

Should be an interesting race!

[racefan8]

Nah, Zeo - marathons are brutal all on their own. Actually, I'm interested to see how the rabbits (the elites) fair in this. The guy that won Chicago will be running - he slipped on some logo mats at the finishline and had serious injury. I'm amazed as hell that he's competing today. Runners are not whimps, weather is part of the deal. But shit like this is dangerous. Ice and sub-freezing temps with rain - fucking brutal. Oh, and gusting wind. Damn.

I've been tracking the weather for Big Sur, CA for my next marathon in two weeks. It's been good so far - hope it keeps up. I had perfect weather yesterday for the little half marathon I ran in Valpo. Did a personal best. Too bad we can't send it east.

[racefan8]

The leaders are to mile 15 now. They start the elites before the open field runs, so the field is just passing the 5 or so. The weather is just as bad as they predicted. I talked to Cindy half an hour before the start and she said everyone is geeked up to run and they feel ready to kick this challenge into high gear. They made a killing on rain/freezing temp gear yesterday at the expo. Cindy is just past the 4 now... 50 mph wind gusts and all

[ZeoBandit]

Wow. 50mph wind gusts? No thanks!!!! I'll stay here where the sun is shining and there is little wind!

[ZeoBandit]

Orbiting astronaut starts 'Boston marathon'
POSTED: 11:59 a.m. EDT, April 16, 2007
Story Highlights
• Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams begins "Boston marathon" in space
• Williams is harnessed to a treadmill so she won't float away
• Her sister and a fellow astronaut are running the real marathon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams started her version of the Boston Marathon on Monday, running on a treadmill 210 miles above Earth undeterred by the wind and rain lashing her Massachusetts counterparts.

Already traveling at 17,500 mph, Williams started the race on time at 10 a.m. ET with race No. 14,000 taped to the front of the treadmill. A laptop computer was on each side of the treadmill so she could watch a live feed of the race from Boston and keep track of where the space station was flying.

Restrained to the treadmill in a harness so she wouldn't float away and wearing Boston Red Sox socks, Williams ran at a brisk pace at the start of the 26.2-mile race. Williams' sister, Dina Pandya, and NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg were running in the race on the ground.

"Just want to let you know the team here is cheering for her and by our calculations she already has completed her 26 miles," Mission Control told her crew mate, Michael Lopez-Alegria, a few minutes into the race.

While racers in Boston bundled up on a raw day, the space station was balmy enough that Williams needed only a navy T-shirt and shorts.

Lopez-Alegria and Williams woke up several hours earlier because of the marathon. The 41-year-old Williams qualified for the Boston race by finishing the Houston Marathon in January in 3 hours, 29 minutes, 57 seconds.

About 45 minutes into the start of the race, or a trip halfway around the world in the space station, Lopez-Alegria reported to Mission Control: "Suni's still smiling. That's a good sign."

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Williams joked that she was hoping the station's treadmill would hold up since it has had its share of breakdowns.

"Marathons are hard on the body," she said. "It's hard on the machine. I hope both of us survive."

[racefan8]

WOW! The guy that won Chicago won Boston and the weather seemed to not affect his time. Two hours fourteen minutes to go 26.2 miles with 50 mph winds in his face. He's a machine. Freaking amazing.

My buddies are past mile 21... go divas!

[racefan8]

Orbiting astronaut starts 'Boston marathon'
POSTED: 11:59 a.m. EDT, April 16, 2007
Story Highlights
• Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams begins "Boston marathon" in space
• Williams is harnessed to a treadmill so she won't float away
• Her sister and a fellow astronaut are running the real marathon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams started her version of the Boston Marathon on Monday, running on a treadmill 210 miles above Earth undeterred by the wind and rain lashing her Massachusetts counterparts.

Already traveling at 17,500 mph, Williams started the race on time at 10 a.m. ET with race No. 14,000 taped to the front of the treadmill. A laptop computer was on each side of the treadmill so she could watch a live feed of the race from Boston and keep track of where the space station was flying.

Restrained to the treadmill in a harness so she wouldn't float away and wearing Boston Red Sox socks, Williams ran at a brisk pace at the start of the 26.2-mile race. Williams' sister, Dina Pandya, and NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg were running in the race on the ground.

"Just want to let you know the team here is cheering for her and by our calculations she already has completed her 26 miles," Mission Control told her crew mate, Michael Lopez-Alegria, a few minutes into the race.

While racers in Boston bundled up on a raw day, the space station was balmy enough that Williams needed only a navy T-shirt and shorts.

Lopez-Alegria and Williams woke up several hours earlier because of the marathon. The 41-year-old Williams qualified for the Boston race by finishing the Houston Marathon in January in 3 hours, 29 minutes, 57 seconds.

About 45 minutes into the start of the race, or a trip halfway around the world in the space station, Lopez-Alegria reported to Mission Control: "Suni's still smiling. That's a good sign."

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Williams joked that she was hoping the station's treadmill would hold up since it has had its share of breakdowns.

"Marathons are hard on the body," she said. "It's hard on the machine. I hope both of us survive."

That is too cool!

[racefan8]

Holy shit! She kicked all kinds of ass. Cindy finished in 3:45. You go girl. I shouldn't be surprised - she did Miami in January with bronchitis in 4:08. Zelda (Denise) just passed the 21....