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Waggle BearsMy son, Joseph, was a runner in the Chicago Marathon yesterday; his first marathon ever. You probably have heard that one person died and hundreds of others suffered heat stroke. Thankfully, Joseph is fine. They stopped the race when he was between the 18th and 19th mile. He said there were such long lines for the buses and not enough buses, that he walked to the finish line. They were told there'd be plenty of rest/aid stations along the way with water and gatorade for the runners, but evidently, they'd not prepared well enough because he couldn't get water after mile 3. He said people along the way brought ice and water to them, and squirted them off with garden hoses. Since this was his first marathon, he just wanted to finish close to four hours and likely he could have under different circumstances.
As a mother, I wonder what the organizers were thinking in not having plenty of water and aid stations and I'm wondering if they weren't watching the weather forecast. I understand this was the hottest marathon temp in the history of the race, but still, shouldn't this have been foreseen. Joseph used to run in the desert during the summer (against my wishes) when the temps were 110+ but humidity made it more like 115+ so I think he knew how to pace himself. I just can't imagine the sorrow of the family of the man who died.
He did make his goal of $2,500 in donations to the Leukemia/Lymphoma organization and plans to enter next year's race again. I'm just so thankful that he wasn't one of those who suffered heat stroke.
Klippie's CreationsHi there, Me and my husband both are marathon runners and we were totally shcoked to hear about the circumstances surrounding such a big event. We hope that your son would continue his passion for running and try another marathon. I am sure he iwll do grat if he has been training as you say under harsh conditions.
What a shocking situation and like you mentioned just imagine the family of the guy who passed away. Gosh
Mention to your son that he should come visit South Africa and compete in either the Two Oceans Marathon or the Comrades Marathon....
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)I'm in suburban Chicago and it's been in all of our newscasts here half hour.
There has yet to be a satisfactiory answer for why the water stations were 'under-equipped'... LaSalle Bank sponsored it, and while the water stations were all manned by volunteers as were ithe facilities, the sponsors & staff are paid for this event.
We've usually had the marathon at the end of Oct (like Schaumburg weekend!). I don't know why it was moved forward, and yes it is still 20+ F degrees above average.
It will most likely moved back next year. The change is in the air as I type and Wed will be in the high 50s. They really can't be faulted for the date choice... The winner from last year was shown slipping on ice at the finish line and those that rushed to his aid had puffy, insultated coats on. Unless we all live in Vancouver or San Diego, that's just the chances we take.
10,000 who'd registered decided not to run, 100,000 more that started didn't finish and 550+ were hospitalized. I'm sure this has happened elsewhere, though that's not a comfort to the ones who were discomfitted!
Waggle BearsKlippie: Thanks for your comments. I will pass them along to Joseph. I believe he has caught the marathon bug as he's already decided to run Chicago next year and is thinking about the LA run in March. He was very disappointed, as were many, who weren't allowed to finish.
If you'd like to read more, go to the Sun-Times website.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/5943 … 09.article
Bobbi: I can and do fault the organizers of the race for not having enough water and Gatorade for the runners. If you've read the stories, many of the runners said the same thing as Joseph about the preparedness or lack of it of the organizers. If you read the article, you'll see that my son was not the only one "discomfitted" by the event.
As for those temps not being expected, since the previous 30 days were 20+/- degrees above normal, then one certainly should assume that the day of the race was going to have above normal temps. A 50 degree temp on Wednesday (today) didn't help those runners on Sunday. And those 10,000 who decided not to run could have been for any number of reasons, not just the temperature.
This is an article in the Sun-Times, though not the one to the link listed above.
Race's sponsors should feel heat
October 9, 2007
Chicago Marathon Director Carey Pinkowski couldn't make it through a 40-minute press conference without swigging back a bottle of water on Monday. That's in an air-conditioned conference room at Hilton Chicago. So how did he and race organizers expect 35,867 runners to dash through the sweltering city streets in record heat for hours on Sunday with only pit stops every other mile?"We feel that we did have more than an adequate water supply out there," said Shawn Platt, marathon spokesman.
So that's why all those Chicagoans were on their front lawns hosing down runners and racers were stopping at convenience stores to buy their own? The spin from the marathon folks just doesn't hold water. We want an apology. Marathon planners shouldn't have been so stingy.
Sure, Marathon workers offered 1.8 million servings of water or Gatorade at 15 stations situated every two miles -- that's 50 cups of liquid per runner. That may sound like a lot of liquid relief, but it's just five cups more than race organizers would have given runners had the temperatures been in the breezy 50s -- as it was last year. Runners needed far more water along the 26.2 mile route. And sooner. Instead, 80,000 cups awaited runners at the finish line. Who could withstand the heat long enough to get there? Besides, not everyone made it to the end because organizers called off the race while many were in the middle.
"I was running at a 10:45 mile pace and found no water available at each of the first two aid stations," runner Alex Clark said. "We resorted to drinking from fountains in Lincoln Park and in front of an apartment on Lake Shore Drive."
Marathon organizers had plenty of time to act, as Chicago has had high temperatures for 23 straight days. Runners were alerted, but organizers should have been more aggressive. Instead,race director Pinkowski blamed runners for dousing themselves with cupfuls of water. He said it's the first time he's seen runners shower themselves with cups of water. Really? We see it all the time. No one can blame runners' desperate attempts to cool off.
"It is a shame it happened," Patricia Curtis of Houston said of the officials' decision to cut the race short.
Runners don't get off the hook, either. Marathoners are a boastful bunch full of pride over months of training, losing toenails and wearing out expensive athletic shoes. They owed it to themselves to listen to their bodies. That includes running slower despite plans to set personal records or finish within a certain time frame. Those with pre-existing conditions or who have previously suffered from heat exhaustion or stroke should have bowed out. Indeed, some people likely did just that, as about 10,000 runners didn't show up.
Unlike the Boston Marathon, which requires qualifying times, the Chicago Marathon allows everyone to compete. We think that's fitting with the spirit of our city. But marathon organizers should have anticipated that lots of first-time runners and pudgy amateurs with visions of grandeur would be lacing up and collapsing in the heat. Perhaps they should have tried to dissuade first-timers or those who hadn't trained for running more than two dozen miles.
Even with plenty of fluids, staying in the race at such high temperatures was risky. At high humidity, sweat doesn't evaporate off the skin, stalling the body's self-cooling ability, says Dr. Trish Palmer, a sports medicine expert at Rush Medical Center: "It's like creating a very strong fever."
Whether the Chicago Marathon's planning gaffe affects Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid remains to be seen. Weather may be the only common thread between a privately organized race for 40,000 and a summer Olympic competition involving fewer than 200 elite athletes in track and field.
Chicago Marathon organizers were right for halting the race. But with almost 150 runners raced to area hospitals and 11 people still in critical condition, it's time for Chicago Marathon officials to own up to their mistakes.
Chicagoans are thirsty for an apology.
Posts: 3,540I feel bad for the guy who died, but to be honest, a heart attack, much like an annuerism can strike at any time. However, the water situation is totally unacceptable!!
When I ran cross country in high school, we were only running for three miles, and the coaches had water stations and gatorade all over....and that was running in much, much cooler temps. A marathon is indeed designed to test endurance, but not having the water on hand, or the ability to cool those runners off if needed is unacceptable.
Dreadful. I'm so sorry to read this. I'm glad your son is okay, Marlys!
WienMarly, congratulations to your son!
Wow, what a challenge!
...and what a shame about the organisors!!!!!!!!
Gaby 
