With temperatures today in London up to 29 degrees, marathon event organisers are preparing competitors for what may be one of the hottest Marathon weekends in years.
Event Organisers are providing important weather updates for runners who may not be used to racing in such high temperatures.
For our readers who also organise sporting events that take place in warm climates (or the odd hot UK day!) it may be useful to take note of the warnings that Virgin Marathon event organisers are providing their participants including:
Adapt your goal according to the conditions. In the conditions forecast for Sunday, you should slow your planned pace. If you were planning to run in fancy dress, please think carefully whether that is still appropriate in the conditions.
Listen to your body. If you feel thirsty, drink water. If you feel overly tired, slow down. If you feel unwell in any way, visit one of the 39 first aid stations on the course. Check out the locations of the first aid stations
Wear the appropriate clothing. This should ideally be lightweight moisture management clothing designed for use in warmer conditions (but remember that new clothing can chafe if it hasn’t been worn and washed).
Drink according to your thirst. There is water or sports drink available every mile from Mile 3 to Mile 25 on the course. Be careful not to overdrink – drinking too much water can be dangerous and lead to hyponatremia (water intoxication)
One bottle only at each water station. Please do not take more than one water bottle or compostable cup at any water station. There is plenty of water for everyone if you only take one.
Drink, Douse, Drain, Drop. When you take water, Drink if you feel thirsty. Douse your head and the back of your neck with the remaining water. If you don’t need all the water, check if your fellow runners would like it to douse themselves. Drain your bottle by squeezing out any unused water. Drop the bottle carefully on the ground for our recycling teams to collect.
Use the showers. There are six shower stations on the course which are based at Miles 9, 13, 17, 20, 22 and 23 – remember to run through these if you need to cool down. Remember that as your running clothing becomes wetter, you may experience chafing. Consider taping sensitive areas such as nipples and using petroleum jelly to help prevent chafing.
Sunscreen. You may be out in the sun for several hours so remember to apply a good quality sunscreen to all exposed areas before you leave home.
And with the runners prepared and the organisers all set for the greatest race of the year, all that's left is to say...
Good luck everyone!