Hot weather poses concern for Mini Marathon - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Participants in the One America 500 festival Mini Marathon could face dangerously hot weather this Saturday.

The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-eighties with high humidity. As a result the Festival Committee is activating its hot weather plan.

Thursday it will send out a special "weather alert" email alert to the 40,000-plus participants taking part in the half marathon and the 5K race.

500 Festival Communications Manager Megan Bulla said other measures will be in place race day.

"We want to make sure people stay hydrated," Bulla said. "We're adding extra water, extra cups and ice. We're also adding seven cooling stations along the course."

Bulla said all Gatorade stations will be converted to water stations if the Gatorade runs out, that misting fans will be in place at the end of Pit Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and that the medical staff will have extra ice and other supplies on hand.

While average temperatures are 57 degrees at the start of the race and 68 degrees at the finish, there have been several races in recent years where heat and humidity have been well above that.

In 2004, the Mini was red-flagged (meaning the competitive timing was stopped) after the temperature hit 79. More than 100 people were treated for heat-related injuries.

2005 came close with dozens of runners overcome by heat. Some had to be carried off the course. Others were taken away on stretchers.

But the worst year ever was the 2000 Mini. The race was black-flagged or stopped at 11:19 after temperatures climbed into the eighties and humidity topped 60 percent. Runners were offered air-conditioned bus rides to the finish.

Heather Fink, who's overseen a Mini Training program for several years at NIFS, said of the heat and humidity, "It's very serious. It's something that can become life-threatening."

Given Saturday's forecast, she's warning her runners to take it easy.

"People need to be careful and modify their plan," Fink said. "If it's hot and humid, you have to slow down."

Fink said high humidity is especially hard on runners.

"The big factor is it prevents the body from cooling optimally. It prevents the evaporation of sweat from the skin and that's what cools the body," she said.

Robert Dally, logging in a few last miles before Saturday said, he planned to take it easy.

"Oh, absolutely. When you have heat like that, I just run real slow," he said. "They are only so many clothes you can take off to stay cool."

"The humidity is worse than the temperatures. Like today, it's humid so you sweat heavy. It's why I'm working out today to get used to it," said John McLean, another runner who was out Tuesday.

500 Festival Mini Marathon