Our runner survives Heartbreak, beats the heat
David Leon Moore covers track and field for USA TODAY Sports. On Monday, he ran his 15th marathon and fifth in Boston. The Californian is used to training in Ventura County in the mornings — where temps are usually in the 50s to 60s. Here’s how he braved the unusual heat wave in Boston:
I had to adjust what I wanted to do in this race. My training had gone really well. I was anticipating going out at a pace that would give me a chance to run maybe a 3:10 or 3:15 marathon, which for me is really fast. Once we knew what the heat was going to be, that was impossible. You just can’t do it in that kind of heat. Everyone had to adjust their goals going into the race.
It was 80 degrees at the start in Hopkinton. Everyone was sweating before they even started running.
I settled into a pace of 7:30 to 7:45 a mile. I kept that up for quite a while. I never felt really good through 15 miles.
I think my fitness kind of kicked in at mile 16. I was starting to feel good, and I was passing a ton of people on the hills.
When you get over Heartbreak Hill, the last 5 miles, it’s such a mixed bag. If you’re really fit, you can run those downhill miles strong. But a lot of people hit the wall at mile 20 or 21 and they are walking, cramping up or getting sick. I didn’t see a lot of people really having health problems. But tons of walking; people had wilted and could not continue.
My time was 3:46, about 30 minutes slower than I thought I would run going in. Everyone was probably 20 to 40 minutes slower than they thought they would be.
There’s no other atmosphere in running like Boston. Almost every stretch of the race you could get ice, a Powerbar or a piece of licorice. Everyone came out with extra aid.
I think the key was nailing the hydration issue. I never felt dehydrated, never got dizzy or had a headache. I’m sure a lot of people did.
They also had misting huts, which I hand’t seen before.
Beyond the finish line, there’s a stretch of human carnage where people can’t walk. They’re sick; they’re miserable. Monday was probably the worst I’ve seen it because people were dehydrated or cramping.