With the weather being colder and wetter than in previous years, the 2015 edition of the Boston Marathon was nonetheless a resounding success, with 27, 156 runners toeing the starting line. Thousands of runners huddled in thermal blankets to keep warm pre-race, dodged puddles en route, and triumphantly crossing the finish line, some long after the race clock at the finish line had been taken down.

The title of the 119^th Boston Marathon was claimed by Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, who finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 17 seconds. This is his second Boston victory; his first was in 2013, but with the bombings that year, his victory was short-lived. Caroline Rotich from Kenya won the women’s category in 2:24:55.

Two years on, the memories of the attacks are still palpable; security was unobtrusive but still visible. Nonetheless, the 1 million spectators who showed up to support and celebrate Boston Strong despite the foul weather was a testament to the enduring legacy of the race.

The biggest challenge that participants faced this year was the uncooperative weather. With temperatures hovering around 7⁰C and wind speeds of 15 to 30kph, conditions were less than ideal for a marathon. Medical tents were at 90% capacity, with 1,310 runners being treated in the medical tents and 36 transported to area hospitals, with the main medical issue of the day being hypothermia.
Singaporean Runners Results

Singapore was represented by 32 runners in the Boston Marathon this year. The top three men and women from Singapore are as follows:

Men

1. Brad James 2:53:44‏
2. Andrew J. Zakaluzny 2:57:56‏
3. Lor Chun Kiat 3:00:22

Women

1. Hilda Stoney 3:20:51
2. Rachel See 3:26:17
3. Tan Yi Zhen 3:32:53

It’s going to be a tough competition for athletes seeking to make the cut in the 2016 Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro.

Single Entry Standards for Rio 2016

Of notable interest is the change from ‘A’ and ‘B’ standards from previous years to single entry standards for each gender. Announced at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council meeting in Monaco last November, this new unified qualification system, set “a little below old A category but above B category”, is argued to improve the overall quality of the event, but may result in some countries struggling to field a wide range of competitors.

For the field of athletics, the Game entry standards are as follows:

The standards have been approved by the IAAF at the world governing body’s 198th council meeting in Beijing.

However, simply meeting the entry standards may not be enough to qualify for a spot in the Games. Back in 2013, it was announced that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has capped the figure at 2,000, down from the 2231 who participated in the 2012 London Olympics. Athletics is the only sport to have its numbers scaled back for Rio 2016. Vice president of IAAF Sebastian Coe maintained that athletics remains the number one Olympic sport, despite aquatics and gymnastics being promoted to the top tier alongside athletics in the Olympics.

Given the limited number of spots available, athletes will have to push harder, to get into Rio 2016.

Morning Finals

At the request of the Rio local organising committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Service, supported by the International Olympic Committee, the finals for the men and women’s marathons, the men and women’s 20km race walking and the 50km men’s race walking will be held in the morning. The decision was made to ensure the events receive maximum visibility for athletics at the Olympics across all time zones.

IAAF competitions director Paul Hardy felt that leading distance runners “often have competitions throughout the year in the morning, such as road or cross country races, and so will be accustomed to this timing”, and will most likely “welcome this change to the athletics programme at the Olympics”.

Athletics action at the next Olympics will take place from Friday 12 to Sunday 21 August 2016.

Fellow Singaporean runners, you have undoubtedly noticed by now, the mercury soaring over the last several days. According to the National Environment Agency, afternoon temperatures will hit 34 degrees Celsius on several days over the last  two weeks of April due to sunny skies and light wind conditions. The only relief will come in the form of afternoon showers with thunderstorms, so with all these in mind, the following advice, here’s how to plan for your runs over the next few weeks.

Hydration, hydration

You’ve probably heard your mother or spouse nagging you on this one, but we will repeat it anyway. Drink plenty of water! As the weather gets warmer, not only do you perspire more, the risk of heat stress during a run increases. Drinking water before and during your run helps prevent dehydration, and serves to cool you down as well. Post-run, continue to drink up, and consider salt tablets to replace the electrolytes lost in your perspiration. Increase your intake of fresh fruits; with their high water content, vitamins and minerals, they make the perfect post-run snack.

Dress for the heat

Unless you’re immune to the pain of chafing, you shouldn’t be wearing cotton T-shirts and shorts during a run, but more so than ever in the heat, it is ideal to be wearing technical fabrics that wick away your perspiration. These dri-fit fabrics are light and breathable, helping you stay cool while you run. Consider a cap or better still, a visor, to cover your face from the sun.

A quick word on caring for your running clothes: it is best to wash your running outfits as soon as possible with cold water and fragrance-free detergent, as bacteria in your perspiration breeds very quickly in the heat, breaking down the technical fibres. If you cannot wash your clothes immediately, hang them out to dry, before putting them in the wash, as this helps to extend the life of your running clothes.

Shield yourself

Ideally, the best time to run would be early in the morning, or late in the evening, when the temperatures are cooler and the sun has yet to come up, or has already gone down. If you tend to run in the middle of the day, consider wearing clothing such as sleeves and long pants that protect your skin from direct exposure to the sun.

If wearing long sleeves in the sun isn’t quite your thing, the minimum you should be doing is to apply sunscreen to protect yourself from the harmful UV rays. Re-apply once every 4 hours, and don’t forget to wear sunglasses, as UV rays can damage your eyes, leading to cataracts and other ocular maladies later in life.

Adjust your expectations

Finally, running in the heat is incredibly stressful for the body, and this isn’t the time to be pushing too hard with high intensity runs, especially in the middle of the day. Understand that your performance may be compromised, but that it’s a reflection of environmental circumstances, rather than a true measure of your fitness levels. Continue to train according to feel and effort, and above all, listen to your body! If something doesn’t feel right, slow down and stop if necessary.

Keep running through the heatwave, but run happy and run safe!