On 8th of May 2016 it’s time again! Amateur as well as professional runners compete against the Catcher Cars at the third ‘Wings for Life World Run’ in 34 places all over the world. Everywhere at the same time, no matter if it’s day or night, in deserts, forests, mountains or cities.
It’s a unique global event, in which every single participant needs to take into account one important variable: the weather. The 34 locations are spread over the world in almost every climate zone. Accordingly the ‘Wings for Life World Run’ is also a global weather-related event. In the days leading up to the first Wings for Life World Run back in 2014, it became apparent how important a detailed assessment of the weather conditions is at every single venue. Runners in Haryana (India) had to tackle extreme heat, while event organizers in Bucharest, Romania were concerned about severe storms with hail potentially disrupting the whole event. On the other hand in Cape Town (South Africa) runners had to fight against gale-force winds and driving rain. Every route section with head wind could cost the runner valuable seconds against the Catcher Cars. Hence, a precise and hourly updated weather forecast was crucial for the course of the whole event.
Last year, runners all over the world had to cope with many different weather conditions. The most extreme weather had probably been in Guargon (India). Sweltering heat of up to 40 degrees stressed especially runners from cooler regions. In Dubai it was a bit “cooler”, though, 33 to 38 degrees still posed a huge challenge for the athletes. At Niagara Falls in Canada/US, the more layers of clothing was needed as that run started at a cool 8 degrees while temperatures rose to 22 degrees later on, making t-shirts more popular. In Dublin, Ireland, strong headwinds of up to 50 km/h meant valuable seconds could be lost. Additionally, thundery showers frequently moved across the track and lead to the runners body temperature being cooled repeatedly. By the way, Lemawork Ketema was able to leave the Catcher Car behind him for the longest period of time. After almost 80 km in Lower Austria with quite good outside conditions, the native Ethiopian was overtaken by the Catcher Car – that’s a new record for the ‘Wings for Life World Run’!
But the work for the MORECAST meteorologists starts much earlier. In the days prior to the ‘Wings for Life World Run’, detailed weather forecasts for every single venue have to be prepared and updated continuously afterwards. In addition to the experience of the weather experts, a good forecast also depends on the knowledge about the climate of the respective regions as well as on the assessment of any potential weather-related impacts. “Can thunderstorms threaten the run?” – “Could low clouds and fog prevent helicopter flights needed to provide aerial imagery of the track?” – “Might snowfall limit the runner’s sight or even lead to slippery conditions on the roads ?”
These are just a few of the questions that have to be answered. Even things that may seem trivial to spectators at first can be quite important for a professional runner. Very cold or warm air can exert a negative influence on the performance. That is one of the reasons why the best performances were achieved at locations where temperature and humidity values were fairly moderate. Hence the best combination of temperature, wind and humidity is one of the key factors for a possible new record this year.
To be up-to-date about the latest weather conditions at all locations of the ‘Wings for Life World Run’, use the MORECAST-App for accurate forecasts of rainfall risk, wind gusts, radiation, UV index and wind chill temperature!
More information: http://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/