People who took part in the 2012 Boston Marathon, on Monday, had to apply the best techniques they could find to survive the unusual heat. The winner, Wesley Korir of Kenya, went through a hard time to stay cool in the hot temperature of almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), says Reuters.
Monday’s edition of the famous Boston Marathon was probably the most difficult that sportsmen had to sustain in the past years. The organizers of the event warned participants that this was going to be a difficult race because of the high temperatures. Despite this, marathoners did not sit out from the competition and decided to use various other means to cool down.
The winner of the men’s division was Wesley Korir of Kenya who took 2 hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds to complete the race. According to analysts, this was one of the slowest winning times since 2007 when Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot finished the competition in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 13 seconds. Unlike Korir, Cheruiyot was struggling with other extreme weather conditions, that is, heavy rain and winds. Sharon Cherop of Kenya won the women’s division a few second after Korir finished the race.
Dehydration is the worst enemy of a marathoner, especially when the weather gets really hot. As a consequence, the majority of the people who took part at the Monday race were often seen pouring water over themselves and drinking small amounts of liquids so they would not pass out.
Korir, on the other hand, preferred to use a more unusual method: he distracted his attention from the heat by singing various tunes. He told reporters that he learned this habit from his colleague, U.S. marathoner Ryan Hall, who is now preparing for the London Olympics. The Kenyan marathoner explained that he heard Hall singing “Come God, come Jesus, come Holy Spirit” during their competitions in Chicago and he is now using the same incantation during rough races.
The last time marathoners in Boston had to confront with similar weather conditions was in 1976 when temperatures grew up to 96 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). This year, organizers installed special stations along the course to spray mists of water on runners.
