Researchers also found that most world records, the course record-breaking runs for seven large North American marathons, and the top 10 marathon performances of all-time were set when temperatures were between 50° F and 59° F. photo: 101 Degrees Westįor example, more than two-thirds of both men’s and women’s course records at the Boston Marathon were set in temperatures below 56° F and more than a third were set when the temperature was below 48° F. Below and above this range, marathon finish times tend to become slower, on average. This research has revealed that the optimal temperature range for most groups of runners seems to be between 44° F and 59° F (7–15° C). Recently, however, there have been a number of studies on the influence air temperature has on marathon finishing times-from which we can gain an understanding of ideal running conditions and the effect warmer temperatures have on running performance. The majority of research on the effect of temperature on exercise performance in the past has taken place in the lab-primarily with cyclists pedaling to exhaustion. Warm temperatures also cause us to fatigue faster by increasing dehydration-leading to reduced stroke volume, cardiac output, and blood pressure.

This results in higher energy usage, increased lactate production, and a higher heart rate at a given pace than in cooler weather.

Heat clearly slows your race pace.Įxercising in the heat increases the amount of oxygen we need since some blood flow is redirected from working muscles to the skin in order to cool our bodies. Researchers have found that various weather factors such as wind, dew point, wet-bulb temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover all affect running performance to some degree, but none of them have more influence than air temperature. Runners are well aware that it takes much more effort to maintain your “normal” pace when the temperature rises.

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