Although I don’t think it accurately mimics true heat, many successful ultrarunners in less hot climates heat train by running with excess clothing. He’ll try to drink about as much as he perspires (which is a lot) and use some of the water to pour on himself to assist in cooling his core temperature. His routine includes a two-hour, 30-min acclimation run (in 100+ degrees) where he’ll carry four water bottles. Living in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of Arizona, he has ample opportunity to walk out his front door and experience 110+ degree temps. Jamil Coury (Race Director of the Javelina 100 and numerous other hot races) has a lot of firsthand experience with hot weather. So you signed up for a race that is known for high temps and/or humidity? How do you get the body ready to perform, especially if you are coming from an area that isn’t traditionally hot or you are training through the winter for a spring/summer race? That’s a tough one, because the best way to heat train is to train in the heat. When the stomach goes south due to heat stress, it feels nearly as bad as having food poisoning and even worse, it almost inevitably leads to a dreaded DNF. While I’ve had some success in hot weather races, I’ve also made some major mistakes and seen the dark side of hot weather racing. I am not an expert, nor a scientific authority. Heat management skills are crucial for the success and safety of all endurance athletes.īefore we dig into this, please understand that these are my personal insights on heat running and are by no means a definitive set of guidelines. You also need to know the red flag symptoms to avoid some disastrous consequences.

I am going to review heat preparation and management strategies in this article, but the bottom line is you should try many things to determine what works best for you.

Last year both the San Diego 100 and Western States 100 saw brutally high heat, which led to a record low 47% finishing rate at San Diego and presented some major physical carnage at Western States. We are on the cusp of summer and some of the hottest ultra races are coming up fast.

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