Congrats to WC’s sister! 
30-34 F is probably the most competitive group. I recall the big kid saying something about not looking forward to aging up for this specific reason.
OMG - record heat hits the Savannah R&R marathon hard:
http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2015-11-07/death-heat-blemish-race
So sad. One runner is dead, many diverted to a shorter course to prevent troubles. The heat conditions described in the article were similar to those I experienced during my recent race, but the runners who ran with me knew what they were signing up for and planned accordingly. Also, my race was much, much smaller… with few newbies.
Ran 2 miles today. I have to stop and stretch my quads every so often when I start to feel any twinge. Icing and stretching afterwards. I’m trying not to feel too discouraged.
Two miles is something blankmind. Mentally and physically that is a step onto the pavement and I imagine a slower, gradual ,PATIENT route is what is needed, right?
BB that’s truly awful. 
blankmind, don’t get discouraged. When I wrecked my knee, I felt so terrible. The thoughts that my running days were over were hanging above my head like dark clouds… My PT was great - she encouraged me along the way. It took awhile, but I was back in business! Hang in there. Do whatever exercises you are given to do.
Oh wow, thanks for posting that article, BunsenBurner. My daughter’s college roommate and her husband were there. Her husband ran his first marathon (his wife didn’t run) and I was secretly pleased that he only beat my time by 31 seconds even though he is 25 years younger. But reading what the conditions were, I am in total awe of his run now - no way would I have even been able to finish in that heat. I feel bad for the people who got cut off and had their race shortened, but it was definitely the right thing to do.
One of my good friends is in her 50 state marathon quest and ran Savannah yesterday. They were diverted and only ran 24.5, so it doesn’t count. While I hate that there was a death and so many medical issues, I’m not sure I understand what the point of lopping off 1.5 miles was. I was on the Board of Trustees for the Dallas Marathon (White Rock) for many, many years, and we had a death one year that was not weather related. It is a horrible thing and something for which race organizers can never quite be prepared.
I have run many marathons in hotter conditions than that, but one of the problems with the new “bucket list” mentality is that there are more people who are not prepared and can’t recognize the signals of a serious medical problem.
I waited a little while today to go out for my run. My legs are really tired from the race, and it was chilly with a north wind this morning. When I finally went out, it was 54 degrees and sunny- really nice. I have some new shoes by Salming that turned out to be really fast shoes! They are also bright pink, which is fun.
I too think it was the right thing to do. Running inside a steam oven is gawdawful.
Wow, MOfWC, that does not make much sense. They were right to put measures in place to prevent heat exhaustion, but should have used some discretion as to what measures had to be done… Shortening the full by such a tiny % is kind of not smart. I would have been royally p’d off if someone told me that I could not run the last 1.5 miles of my race or if a small chunk of the distance was lopped off so my effort would count for nothing.
How did the Wine Down Main go, MOfWC?
Do tell about your new shoes! I’m all ears. Have to have an excuse to go shoe shopping.
Here’s what I read on one of the triathlon forums:
“I had quite a few friends and training partners participate in this race. It was way hotter than normal for this time of year and humid. It was around 70 degrees at the start as opposed to around 45 last year. The reports I was getting were that some aid stations ran out of water, water wasn’t cold, not enough volunteers to hand water to all the runners, cups with only a sip or two of water in them. I know these aren’t that unusual of complaints with some races, but made things very tough coupled with the heat and humidity. All my friends doing the half finished up, but a few that did the full got rerouted to shorten at the end and only ran about 24 miles”
This is what concerns me about the Rock n Roll for profit races. I’ve experienced this myself in some of their races. Others are fine. When weather like that is anticipated- or might be a possibility- there needs to be MUCH more ice and water on the course.
Also, apparently the runner who died was very fit and was running the half. I suspect it was a sudden heart issue and not even heat related. .
I could see saying at the beginning of the race, “because of the conditions we’re shortening the course and everyone is running a half-marathon.” Then anyone who was there to run a marathon could make a decision whether to run or not. Lopping off 1.5 miles doesn’t seem to make sense.
I’ve been quiet lately – went on a short visit to the San Francisco area where I did a 7-mile hike with a friend. Been keeping up with the exercise, but eating really badly. And suffering a little from jet lag.
This is an interesting article about some women who took a really long time to finish the NYC marathon, and finished after the marathon was officially over – they took nearly 9 hours to finish. The article celebrates the idea of doing your best and enjoying the experience. Some of the comments express anger that people like these women are allowed to run, that they are taking the space of more “serious” runners, and that this is not an accomplishment because most people could walk 26 miles in 9 hours. www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/sports/completing-the-new-york-city-marathon-even-after-the-finish-line-comes-down.html?_r=0
I don’t know the rules of the NY marathon, but I know many people who aren’t “serious” runners (as in, trying to win) run. A friend of mine ran for a charity – he is overweight and I couldn’t believe it when he started posting his training on Facebook. He didn’t finish, but his enthusiasm was great and he is planning on trying again next year. Plus he raised a lot of money. I have another friend who is a really slow runner – she runs slower than I walk, but she too is overweight and that’s the best that she can do. I would never criticize her running efforts – she tries her best and has fun doing it, and that’s what matters.
I bought a Lululemon down pullover a couple years ago, and I adore it. I’m more a fan of Athleta than Lululemon, but I do love that pullover.
C3Baker, congrats on that marathon.
While the weather conditions may not have played a role in the death of the runner, as noted by MOWC, it bears reiteration that the combination of heat and humidity has to be taken seriously. The combination really screws up the body’s thermo-regulatory system because in the high humidity, you can’t evaporate sweat. Core body temperatures can elevate precipitously resulting in sudden onset of heat exhaustion and even heat stroke.
There are constant debates and arguments about the walkers and finish-at-any-cost participants in marathons. It simply wasn’t an issue back in the 80s when I started running competitively, because if you weren’t a pretty decent runner, you did not enter a marathon! 4 hours was not very fast of a finish back then- now it is terrific!
I have mixed feelings, having directed races and having been on the Board for so many years. It is a huge problem to keep volunteers on the course for 6-9 hours. That is why courses close at 6 or 7 hours. Many cities won’t allow the streets to be closed for longer than that- if THAT long! I don’t blame them, really.
I support fitness walkers and slow runners, but I think the half marathon distance is a better choice for someone walking the whole way or unable to complete 26 miles in under 6 hours. Almost all races rely heavily on volunteers to man the aid stations, direct runners and offer aid at the finish line. It’s a lot to ask to have them there while someone walks the entire course of a marathon. I am not nearly as much of an elitist as many runners. There can be a real lack of appreciation for the effort someone might be putting in- even if it doesn’t yield a fast finishing time.
It looks like the record temps and humidity caught the R&R organizers off-guard. Or maybe they did not take the reports seriously and decided not to bother with the extra expenses? In contrast, the organizers of the race I ran were super prepared for the heat and humidity, because that’s what mother nature can dump on them any given year, as it certainly did this year. There was no shortage of ice and water, and the iced towels at mile 24 and then at the finish were super helpful. Also, the race had a condition: if you are not at a certain checkpoint at a certain time, you are not allowed to run further. It definitely helped that the folks who were brave enough to run it were either the locals or experienced out of town runners.
No where near a 1/2 or full but got my run in this afternoon.
I personally have never understood people who run a 1/2 or full but actually walk a good portion of it - I mean, I don’t know where you draw the line, but the majority - more than 50% should be running in my book! With no intent to be offensive, if you are walking as much or more than running , then you completed a walking “marathon” - not a running marathon.
I blame it on those little car sticker thingys. Everyone wants to be able to “keep up or exceed the Jones’s” sticker on their car. Not good enough to have a 5K, 13.3 or whatever sticker .
I’m down in Augusta, GA right now, about three hours from Savannah. It has been hot and humid all week (today it is cool and rainy for the first time in a week). Yesterday was 80 degrees and high humidity again. Not typical, even for this part of the south. My dad has been running the AC just to reduce the humidity in the house.
My bike club does an organized event each year that offers courses ranging from 25 to 100 miles. There are published time ranges at which to start depending on the distance/route a rider is doing. There are also published times that the rest stops will shut down and SAG support will end. I’ve often ridden as a sweep rider on the longer routes and I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve caught up to riders on a route who had no business doing that distance. I think people get caught up in the momentum of these mass events, bite off more than they can really handle and don’t realize the jeopardy they are putting themselves in when they are 30 miles out from the finish, exhausted, cramping up and end up needing to be SAG’d in. I’ve even had to give riders an ultimatum that either they let me call a SAG vehicle to pick them up or they will be on their own with no support, no rest stops, no food, no water replenishment. Sometimes it ain’t pretty.
One of my friends was in Savannah to race the marathon. She was disappointed (had traveled from the west) but understanding about the situation–said the humidity was rough. It has truly been unusually hot and sticky down here–felt like full-on summer this morning. H and I walked 4 miles; I took a walk through the woods early in the afternoon and came home drenched. We’re hoping for the break tonight, after which, it will be cooler–low 80’s.