Performance and Thermal Perceptions of Runners Competing in the London Marathon: Impact of Environmental Conditions.

Tim Vernon,Alan Ruddock,Maxine Gregory

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168424

Tim Vernon, Alan Ruddock + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168424

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Abstract

The 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon (2018 VMLM) was the hottest in the race’s 37-year history. The aims of this research were to (1) survey novice mass participation marathoners to examine the perceptual thermal demands of this extreme weather event and (2) investigate the effect of the air temperature on finish times. A mixed-methods design involving the collection of survey data (n = 364; male = 63, female = 294) and secondary analysis of environmental and marathon performance (676,456 finishers) between 2001 and 2019 was used. The 2018 VMLM mean finishing time was slower than the mean of all other London marathons; there were positive correlations between maximum race day temperature and finish time for mass-start participants, and the difference in maximum race day temperature and mean maximum daily temperature for the 60 days before the London Marathon (p < 0.05). Of the surveyed participants, 23% classified their thermal sensation as ‘warm’, ‘hot’ or ‘very hot’ and 68% ‘thermally comfortable’ during training, compared with a peak of 95% feeling ‘warm’, ‘hot’ or ‘very hot’ and 77% ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘very uncomfortable’ during the 2018VMLM. Organisers should use temperature forecasting and plan countermeasures such as adjusting the start time of the event to avoid high temperatures, help runners predict finish time and adjust pacing strategies accordingly and provide safety recommendations for participants at high-risk time points as well as cooling strategies.

Highlights

Over one million runners participate in marathons annually [1], with the VirginMoney London Marathon (VMLM) attracting around 40,000 participants
A mixed-methods design involving the collection of survey data and the analysis of environmental and marathon performance data was used to examine the experiences of and the effects of air temperature on participants running a marathon in the heat
(4) We found a positive correlation between the difference in maxto the London Marathon, whereby a hotter race day temperature compared with mean imum race day temperature and the mean maximum daily temperature for the 60 days training temperature resulted in a slower marathon finish time

Summary

Introduction

Over one million runners participate in marathons annually [1], with the VirginMoney London Marathon (VMLM) attracting around 40,000 participants. The demands of marathon running are considerable irrespective of performance standard; the energy expenditure of female and male runners finishing between 2 and 4 h is within the region of 2000 to 2800 kcal, placing extensive strain on metabolic, cardiorespiratory, thermophysiological, mechanical and perceptual regulatory systems [2,3] Such demands are intensified in hot and humid conditions where finishing times are impaired [4,5,6], and in-race withdrawals increase, when air temperature exceeds 20 ◦ C [6]. For runners preparing for the VMLM, these low temperatures posed logistical training demands (icy roads) and altered perceptual and physiological responses, potentially impairing preparation for a spring marathon These weather events were followed by unseasonably high temperatures between the 18th and 22nd of April, including the UK’s warmest April day since 1949 at

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