Storm Threatens to Slow Marathon Times, Boost Dropouts

Apil 16, 2007 — -- For many people, running a marathon is a lifelong dream. They train for months, pounding the pavement for the chance to prepare their bodies to make the 26-mile trek on race day.

Twenty-seven-year-old Rocky Prozeller of Boston fits into the category of marathon dreamer.

"I wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to check it off my to-do list," said Prozeller.

On Monday, he's not only running his first marathon, he's running "Boston" -- one of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

There's just one catch.

"All week long my co-workers have been trying to tell me about the weather. And I haven't let them say a thing," he said. "I finally got up the courage to look at the paper this morning, and it looks like I'll be running in some of the worst weather in the history of the marathon. I just want to get back into my bed and pull the covers up."

Prozeller and more than 22,500 other athletes will be running the 111-year-old Boston Marathon smack dab in the middle of a vicious Nor'easter.

Forecasters expect the powerful storm to dump up to five inches of rain in the Boston area. Temperatures are likely to be in the 40s for the start of the race, but it will feel much colder because runners will also heading straight into a strong 20 to 25 mph easterly wind, with potential gusts up to 60 mph.

Headwinds Add Degree of Difficulty

Peter Gilmore, 29, will also be running Boston. Gilmore placed seventh in last year's Boston Marathon -- the top U.S. finisher. Although Gilmore trains in San Francisco, where wind and rain have been known to disrupt his training runs -- he's not looking forward to the messy mix of weather in Boston this year.

"It's a negative. There's no question, the only question is how much of a negative it's going to be," he said.

Elite runners tend to run in packs. They try to conserve energy by taking turns running behind one another, known as running in someone else's downdraft. But no matter what strategy they adopt this year, a strong headwind is likely to sap some extra energy.

"Right now, I'm trying to decide between two pairs of gloves," Gilmore said. "One is a couple of ounces heavier than the other and my arms will be moving a lot and that extra weight could make me less efficient. Everything makes a difference when you're running 180 steps a minute."

That's 180 steps a minute for a total of 23,760 or so steps in total if Gilmore comes close to his 2006 time of 2:12:45. But this year, he'll be fighting a strong wind every step of the way.

Casual Runners Pose Biggest Risk

Medical personnel and race organizers aren't as concerned about the elite runners as they are about the thousands of "back-of-the-packers" who will be out on the course for four, five and even six hours.

"Marathons have a tendency to be moving mass casualty events," said Chris Troyanos, medical coordinator for the Boston Marathon.

Troyanos is expecting a drop out rate of 6 to 8 percent. That's more than 1,000 people potentially in need of medical attention. The biggest fear right now is hypothermia.

"We are recommending that all runners run with a partner," he said. "If you start to feel ill, seek medical help. People have to be smart about this they have to weather the proper clothes. A hat and gloves are a must. Think about bringing extra shoes."

Mild hypothermia is characterized by cold and shivering. Then it progresses to muscle fatigue, poor coordination, numbness and disorientation. By the time severe hypothermia sets in -- cardiac failure can result.

Dr. Arun Ramappa, an orthopedic surgeon and a sports medicine specialist at Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, explained that if your body falls even a degree or two below normal it can be dangerous.

Carb Loading Can Boost Times, Warm Body

"Your body has a core temperature of 98.6 degrees and all of your body's functions on a molecular level are optimal at that temperature. Things start breaking down when your body gets below that temperature."

If you see "goose pimples" on your skin and you start shivering that's your body's way of attempting to raise your core temperature.

"Shivering is a response to being cold. And shivering uses glucose which comes from a variety of different sources -- carbohydrates being the main one," said Ramappa.

So all that carbo-loading will be particularly important for runners this time around. Runners will need the energy to run the race and to stay warm.

Marathon officials have ordered heated buses to be placed next to the Red Cross tents along the route.

And they've beefed up their medical resources. There are 1,200 medical volunteers at the ready, all of Boston's hospitals are on standby and the entire effort is being coordinated with Boston Emergency Medical Services and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Ann Johnson, 55, of Bridgeton, Maine, was "really, totally, freaked out about the weather at first."

Johnson is no slouch, though. She has run three previous marathons and qualified for Boston in her age group with a time of 4 hours, 13 seconds. Johnson also raised over $3,000 for ovarian cancer research.

She decided last week that, with a little planning, she could run Boston after all.

"I decided that this is perfect for me. I have stamina and grit, and I'm really lucky to be able to run any marathon," she said. "I have decided that this doesn't have to be about getting the perfect time. I'm just going to rearrange things in my head mentally and go for it."

Weather? What Weather?

Philip O'Connell, of Plympton, Mass., doesn't seem phased by the weather reports at all. Maybe that's because, at 85, O'Connell has plenty of experience running in bad weather. He runs Boston every five years and countless other races as well.

"I ran a race up Mount Washington -- that's seven miles uphill. There were torrential rains then and 70 miles per hour. I managed to get rescued at the end by two park rangers. They were waiting for me. I wonder who will rescue me this time," said O'Connell, only half-jokingly.

O'Connell, the oldest entrant in the Boston Marathon, is expecting to take between seven and eight hours to finish. He will don a padded ski hat, some gloves and a new windbreaker for the race.

O'Connell's grandson will be driving relatives around the course. And his granddaughter will be joining him for at last part of the race. His daughters will standing by with extra clothing and a change of shoes somewhere around Heartbreak Hill -- a half-mile ascent between the 20th and 21st miles on the course.

Although he never considered dropping out, O'Connell isn't sure he'll run it again.

"I don't think at 90. I mean give me a break. It's inevitable I'll slow down at some point."

One other thing, O'Connell will also wear a wetsuit this year -- fitting garb for what just might be the worst weather in Boston Marathon history.