The Long Road Ahead for Olympic Marathoners

In the early miles of a recent half-marathon, I was sure something was wrong with my heart monitor. That or I was picking up the signal of a runner near me. How else to explain 180 BPM, a level I rarely reach even in the latter stages of speed workouts? Sure, the course had a few hills in its first half, but none steep enough to explain these readings. And the temperature was only in the upper-60s. I felt fine and wasn’t struggling at all in spite of the puzzling numbers. Then, halfway through the race, the course exited a park setting and took to the streets. And instantly, my heart rate came down. In hindsight, there could be only one cause: humidity. A pre-race rainstorm combined with the heavily wooded park created very high humidity. And if you’ve been reading any previews of the upcoming Olympic marathons, you know competitors will be facing even worse conditions. And we’re not talking about something remedied with a little extra hydration. Performance will suffer, period. Elite runners who’ve faced similar conditions as Beijing seem to have a universal refrain: I simply couldn’t run as fast as usual. Some think this may even the field. Some think it will only increase the East African advantage. But one thing is sure for Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor and everyone else toeing the start line. Running at this level is about managing pain. And this one promises a whole new level of hurt.