The women’s marathon in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles produced two widely circulated images. The first was the photo of Joan Benoit Samuelson throwing her arms up in celebration as she became the first female marathon gold medalist in Olympic history. The second was agonizing video footage of Swiss marathoner Gabrielle Andersen-Schiess, leaning to one side as she staggered around the Coliseum track, her head flopping, one arm hanging useless, taking nearly six minutes to cover the last 400 meters of the race, and collapsing as she crossed the finish line.
Andersen-Schiess’s problem was easy to identify. She was suffering from heat exhaustion, which is brought on when the body cannot produce enough perspiration to offset the heat it is generating. The temperature in L.A. that day was 87ºF, with high humidity that further impeded the cooling effects of evaporating sweat.
And she was dehydrated. The Olympic committee that year allowed only five water stations along the course, and she had missed the fifth one. (Interestingly, Samuelson had skipped the first one, having hydrated thoroughly before the start.) A well-conditioned endurance athlete, Andersen-Schiess recovered within a couple of hours, and she raced well elsewhere two weeks later — after providing a dramatic reminder of the risks involved in sustained running or other activity in hot weather.
In the current climate, which may provide some of the hottest days on record anywhere, it’s possible to have a good workout or race, but you need to prepare well.
Drinking plenty of fluids is an obvious component. Some authorities recommend taking in four ounces of water or energy drink every 15-20 minutes while exercising. At a running camp years ago, I heard Phil Maffetone, a kinesiologist who has worked with ultra-distance runners, recommend consuming two quarts of water a day. On the other hand, Jack Daniels, the highly regarded coach and U.S. Olympic track team consultant, noted in his book “Daniels’ Running Formula” that two runners of comparable ability may lose fluids at significantly different rates, so that during a race one may drink two or three times as much as the other.
Research indicates that your stomach can take in cold drinks more quickly than warm ones. It also finds that a six percent carbohdrate solution is absorbed into your system faster than plain water. Gatorade is six percent; Coca Cola and most other soft drinks are 12 percent — although now, there’s Coke Zero, and there’s also non-alcoholic beer, which sports nutritionist Ellen Goodman told me is actually a pretty good carbohydrate replacement drink. Coffee, tea, and regular beer and other drinks containing alcohol don’t count. They’re diuretics; they actually drain your body of fluids.
Other ways to handle the heat: Run early in the morning or in the evening, when it’s cooler. Wear loose-fitting lightweight clothing. Cotton may be as good as, or better than, synthetic fabrics. I wear high-tech fabrics for most runs, but in extreme hot weather I wear an old cotton T-shirt that has worn thin with age, and I overheat less.
Watch yourself for signs of something unpleasant. A headache after a long run on a hot day — I’ve had three — can be a strong indication that you weren’t drinking enough. Dizziness, disorientation, cramping muscles or pale, cold skin may indicate impending heat exhaustion.
The other thing you can do, whether you have competitive goals in mind or just need to work hard outdoors on hot days, is to acclimatize, i.e., get used to the heat gradually. Daniels and others recommend that for somewhere between seven and 14 days, you run or do other exercise outdoors in hot weather for 90 minutes. If you’re a novice, start with as much as feels comfortable and work up to 90 gradually over that time.
Or ride a bike instead of running. The air flow will help you stay cooler.
It’s not too early to register for two of the area’s most popular races. The Bridge of Flowers Road Race in Shelburne Falls takes place this year on Aug. 8. Register in advance at www.runreg.com/bridgeofflowersrace. The main event is 8km. (five miles); there’s also a 3km. The annual Summit Run, a 5km run to the Summit House on the Holyoke Range, is on Sept. 20. Register at https://raceroster.com/events/2026/138415/summit-run-5k.
The Northfield Summer Road Race series offers a 5km race each Thursday evening through August, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the parking lot at 105 Main St. in Northfield. Prizes for all entrants. Registration on site starts at 6 p.m.
John Stifler has taught writing in economics at UMass and has written extensively for running magazines and newspapers. He can be reached at jstifler@umass.edu.
