Boston Marathon 2024: How will high temperatures on race day affect runners? All angles explored

By Comfort Oguejiofor

Modified Apr 09, 2024 18:33 GMT

Boston Marathon 2024, the 128th edition of the event, will kick-start in a few days' time, and about 30,000 participants are anticipated to take part in the competition. The race is scheduled for Monday, April 15 and it will start in Hopkinton town, southwest of Boston.

The Boston Marathon is among those marathons hugely impacted by the weather and everyone has an eye on the temperatures. It appears the scheduled day will be good for running and spectating as sunny skies and wind have been forecast.

However, the high temperature on the race day will most likely affect the runners. It will take higher effort for the runners to retain their usual pace if the temperature keeps rising, and the heat will lead to more energy usage, more lactic acid formation, and increased heart rate.

High temperatures during Boston Marathon 2024 can also lead to quicker fatigue for the runners because of the increased dehydration, and if the temperature climbs higher than the ideal range, it will lessen the runners’ speed. However, the extent to which the high temperature will affect a runner will also depend on how fast he or she is. The wind may also help out.

The high temperatures experienced in past Boston Marathons had disturbed runners, resulting in longer running times than normal. Even experienced runners had suffered from heat tiredness and heatstroke when they competed under high-temperature conditions, and some had been forced to quit due to cramping.

Siranesh Yirga and Hellen Obiri join the list of Boston Marathon 2024 athletes

Boston Marathon 2024 is closing in on us and the event promises to be a cracker. Among the athletes participating in the race are Ethiopian runner iranesh Yirga and Kenyan Hellen Obiri and they will be competing with a lot of other big names.

Siranesh Yirga had clocked 2:21:28 in the Shanghai Marathon held in 2023 and emerged as the winner. Boston Marathon 2024 will be Yirga's season debut and supporters are looking forward to her performance.

Hellen Obiri, a 2x world champion and 2x Olympic medalist, will also compete in the Boston Marathon 2024 race as a former champion. In 2023, she performed remarkably well by clocking 2:21:38 and winning gold as she was far ahead of other athletes.