Record breaking heatwave stops Chicago Marathon by Steph Ball
Organisers allowed the Chicago Marathon to start on Sunday amid expected record breaking heat, only to have to cancel it mid-run.
Nearly 36, 000 runners set out at 8am on Sunday morning, but it wasn’t long before many started to feel the effects of the heat and stress. Despite first attempts to stop the race along the way, thousands ignored warnings and ploughed on despite aid stations running out of water. Eventually, mid-run, the race was stopped. Hundreds of runners were admitted to hospital and one man died.
Temperatures during the race soared to 31C (88F) breaking a new marathon record. The previous record was 29C (84F) set back in 1979.
Illinois is just one of several states across the northeast US which has been experiencing something of a heatwave, with temperatures more akin to summer. The weekend also saw October temperature records being tied and new ones set, across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. High temperatures across New York State today, Monday, could also set new records.
Temperatures this weekend soared into the low 30C’s (high 80F’s) while values around this time of year should be closer to the high teens (mid 60F’s).
While cooler conditions are expected to kick in this week, the US Climate Prediction Center is predicting an unusually warm winter.
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