Ultrarunning Magazine
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Gift Subscription
  • Magazine
    • Back Issues
    • Archive
      • By Years
      • By Author
      • By Tags
      • Search
    • Find a Retailer
    • Become a Retailer
  • Podcast
  • Features
    • Training Plans
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletter Signup
    • UltraRunners of the Year
    • All Time List
  • Quiz
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Races
    • Race Results
    • All Events
      • By State
    • Stats
      • Finishes
      • Top Performances
      • Biggest Races
    • Race Director
      • Register
      • Login
  • Race Results
  • Shop
    • Back Issues
    • Digital Back Issues
    • Stickers
    • Hats
    • Clothing
    • Cart
  • About
    • About UR
    • Columnists
    • Staff
    • UltraRunning Ambassadors
    • Editorial Submissions
    • Change of Address
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • Log In
Ultrarunning Magazine
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Gift Subscription
  • Magazine
    • Back Issues
    • Archive
      • By Years
      • By Author
      • By Tags
      • Search
    • Find a Retailer
    • Become a Retailer
  • Podcast
  • Features
    • Training Plans
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletter Signup
    • UltraRunners of the Year
    • All Time List
  • Quiz
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Races
    • Race Results
    • All Events
      • By State
    • Stats
      • Finishes
      • Top Performances
      • Biggest Races
    • Race Director
      • Register
      • Login
  • Race Results
  • Shop
    • Back Issues
    • Digital Back Issues
    • Stickers
    • Hats
    • Clothing
    • Cart
  • About
    • About UR
    • Columnists
    • Staff
    • UltraRunning Ambassadors
    • Editorial Submissions
    • Change of Address
    • Contact
    • Advertise
0
Ian Sharman

Racing in the Heat

by Ian Sharman 08/20/2015
written by Ian Sharman 08/20/2015

As we get into the middle of summer, many races involve running in severely hot weather. The most experienced runners use several tricks to deal with this, which are most evident at two Californian races renowned for their searing heat—Western States 100 and Badwater 135. Temperatures in these events are usually in excess of 100 degrees F, so runners have to be experts at keeping cool.

First, it’s important to understand the body’s main method of avoiding overheating—perspiration.

How Does The Body Cool Itself?

Glen Redpath keeping cool at Badwater, paced by Ian Sharman.

Glen Redpath keeping cool at Badwater, paced by Ian Sharman.

When the ambient temperature is above body temperature, heat transfers into the body rather than out. Since there must be a net outward heat transfer to avoid overheating, the body relies on the evaporation of sweat from the skin and the evaporative cooling from exhaled moisture. The cooling effect comes from the vaporization of water. If part of a liquid evaporates, it cools the liquid remaining behind because it must extract the necessary heat of vaporization from that liquid in order to change into a gas.

Training in the heat causes the body to adapt to improve the effectiveness of sweating, including increasing the amount of blood plasma, allowing an increase in your sweat rate while making sweat less salty. However, when the temperatures are extremely high and your running generates additional heat, it becomes important to help your body keep cool externally. This also applies when sweat is unable to evaporate in humid conditions.

Issues With Humidity

The principles differ for humid races because sweating is much less effective. The more humid it is, the less your sweat will evaporate, so it can have little or no cooling benefit. More drastic measures are needed.

Tips For Cooling Yourself In Addition To Sweating, As Evidenced By Ws100 And Bw135

First, bear in mind that drinking does little to cool the body (see chapter three of Waterlogged by Professor Tim Noakes), and that external cooling is by far the most effective method. Here are tried and tested methods of keeping yourself cool, some of which are easier to undertake with a crew at a race.

The most effective way to cool your body is by applying cold substances, typically ice water and ice, externally to your body. In particular your brain needs to be kept cool, so pouring cold water over your head and neck is very effective, but short-lived. A great way to keep that cooling effect between aid stations is to put ice under a hat, in a bandana around the neck or in a sports bra (I’ve even known men to use the latter at BW135!). At aid stations, if you’re really getting hot, try to put ice against the arteries in your neck, under your arms and around your groin—this will cool the blood going to the extremities of your body.

Cover your skin with white or light fabrics. Not only does this minimize sunburn, it stops the sun baking your skin and raising your temperature. There’s a good reason that BW135 runners cover themselves up. It’s the same logic used by desert-dwelling tribes in the Middle East and the Sahara Desert. To get a cooling benefit from these fabrics, keep them wet, ideally dousing with cold water whenever possible. Adjust your effort level if you start to overheat, since the harder you work, the more heat you generate. This can be especially important when going uphill in the sun, since your effort is likely to increase and raise your internal body temperature. Slowing down will also make it easier to eat, drink and digest, keeping your energy levels up through the race and minimizing stomach issues.

Take advantage of any shade along the course, even if it means running on the outside of a curve. If you start to feel dizzy and really hot, then consider stopping in the shade brief ly to combine the cooler temperature externally with generating less heat by stopping.

0 comment
FacebookTwitterEmail
Ian Sharman

Ian Sharman is an ultrarunning coach with USATF and NASM certification. He is on the Altra Running Team and has represented England for ultrarunning. He only started running in 2005 but quickly got addicted to races and became a student of the sport, interested in all types of running terrain and style of event. In particular, Ian loves to explore the world through running and has raced in six continents with almost 200 marathon and ultra finishes. Some highlights include setting the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in 2013, during which he won the Leadville Trail 100. He also set the fastest North American 100-mile trail time at his Rocky Raccoon 100 course record of 12:44.

previous post
Quick & Dirty: Hillary Allen, 2015 Speedgoat 50K Winner
next post
2015 USATF 50K Trail National Championships Tamalpa Headlands 50K

Race Results

  • Mountains to Sea Challenge 50 KM
  • Peterson Ridge Rumble 36 Miles
  • Le Tour De Orange County 50 Miles
  • Rattler Trail Race 50 KM
  • Le Tour De Orange County 50 KM
  • Beast of the East (Monadnock Ultra) 100 Miles
  • Beast of the East (Monadnock Ultra) 50 Miles
  • Rattler Trail Race 50 KM
  • Eagleton Trail Challenge 50 KM
  • Potawatomi 100 Miles
  • Potawatomi 30 Miles
  • Rattling Creek Run 50 KM
  • Zion 100 50 KM
  • Zion 100 100 Miles
  • Zion 100 100 KM

 

View all results

Weekly Newsletter

A roundup of the week's content along with interesting and relevant links from around the web and the most recent race results. Sent every Thursday.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Podcast

  • Rescue at Bigfoot

  • Hallucinations

  • Beverley Anderson-Abbs: Winner of Jed Smith 50-miler, Barkley “fun run” finisher and multi record-holder

  • Tropical John Medinger – Former UR Publisher and Past President of WS100 Board

  • Jeff Stern – Backbone Trail FKT record-holder, coach and columnist

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Email

Back To Top