Mayer shines in the heat marathon: 33rd place and a proud race to catch up!

Mayer shines in the heat marathon: 33rd place and a proud race to catch up!

A particularly challenging marathon took place today at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Julia Mayer (DSG Vienna) was able to hold her own under extreme conditions, with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius and humidity of around 80 percent. Despite these adverse conditions, Mayer improved in the last 15 kilometers and finished the race in 33rd place. Her final time was 2:36:20 hours, an improvement of 13 places compared to her last marathon in Budapest 2023. She was also the 11th best European in the competition [kleinezeitung.at].

Mayer expressed her satisfaction with her race and the catch-up, which made her proud. In the final stages of the marathon she did experience slight cramps in her left leg, but overall everything worked well. The team optimally provided them with ice, caps, drinks and gels to mitigate the effects of the heat. Conditions for marathon runners are particularly critical in such scenarios, as high temperatures and humidity make it difficult to cool the body and significantly impact performance [kaltenkirchener-marathon.de].

More ÖLV athletes in Tokyo

Raphael Pallitsch (Union St.Pölten) was also able to shine in Tokyo. He qualified for the semifinals of the 1500 meters with a time of 3:42.40 minutes. Pallitsch, who started in a more reserved style, was 1:03 minutes after 400 meters and 2:08 minutes after 800 meters. However, in the last 600 meters he was able to improve his position and make a successful final sprint in the last lap of 52.55 seconds [oelv.at].

However, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway missed the next round by dropping out of his preliminary heat in eighth place. In the 100 meter hurdles discipline, Karin Strametz (SU Leibnitz) narrowly failed to qualify for the next round. She finished fourth with 13.02 seconds, which placed her 27th overall. Converted, she was only three hundredths of a second short of qualifying directly. The fastest time in this discipline was achieved by Danielle Williams (JAM) with 12.40 seconds [oelv.at].

Effects of weather conditions

Heat is one of the biggest challenges for marathon runners, as temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius can significantly affect performance. Even at these temperatures, runners tire more quickly, which has an impact on the overall times [kaltenkirchener-marathon.de]. The combination of heat and high humidity is particularly problematic as it increases the risk of overheating and affects the ability to achieve maximum performance.

As a result, athletes must be prepared accordingly. Strategies such as hydrating early, consuming electrolyte drinks and training in a variety of weather conditions are essential to optimally prepare for the challenges of a marathon in extreme climatic conditions. Today's competition in Tokyo showed once again how important athletes' ability to adapt is in such situations.