Nearly eight weeks remain for more than 100,000 amateur and professional runners to bring themselves into shape for the ‘Wings for Life World Run 2016’. Hence, the training phase slowly enters the final straight. Staying ahead of the Catcher Cars for as long as possible on 8th of May will test the hardiness of all participants.
Weather plays a key role for an effective preparation for this global sport event. But what kind of weather is actually the best to train? And out of the 34 locations, spread over the world, which one offers the best conditions at the moment?
One important variable for a successful training as well as an optimal implementation of performance at the actual run is the wind. Gale-force head winds can seriously disturb the workout and could also cost the runner valuable seconds against the Catcher Cars. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the participants desire calm conditions.
Additionally, rain and snow can hinder the preparation of the ‘Wings for Life World Run’ as there is the danger of injury and the risk of catching a cold. If a thunderstorm threatens an athlete’s workout, conditions become even worse as the safety of the athlete comes into play. During severe thunderstorms, all adverse conditions can occur at the same time and place: heavy rain, wind gusts from all directions, an enhanced risk of lightning strikes, and in the worst case even hail. Apart from that scenario, the relative humidity is yet another key parameter that can determine the quality of a run. In highly humid conditions, the sweat of runners has a harder time evaporating. Consequently, there is a higher risk of overheating from the failure of the runner’s natural process to cool the body down through the evaporation of sweat. In contrast to high humidity, very dry weather (i.e. desert climate) allows the body to more efficiently cool itself down due to the quicker rate of sweat evaporation. However, athletes training in low humidity climates can experience a greater risk of dehydration.
Since body temperature plays a crucial role in the efficiency of a run, most athletes also hope for low temperatures. An optimal temperature range for many athletes to train outdoors in is 4 to 11 degrees Celsius (39 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit). Some professional runners produce more body heat than the average athlete and, therefore, they prefer even lower values. With higher temperatures, the performance of athletes often becomes more adverse since the athlete’s body temperature is also likely to be higher.
Considering all these limiting factors, one thing quickly becomes clear: on average the best weather conditions will be found in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere as well as at temperate latitudes south of the equator during the ‘Wings for Life World Run’. In Vienna for example, temperatures are expected to already be above the ideal range in May thanks to an increased amount of heat energy produced by the sun due to the longer days. The position of the sun will affect not only the temperatures, but also the physical condition of the runners.
In the end, apart from all competitiveness the only thing of importance will be the good purpose. But, first the athletes have to finish their training successfully.
Regarding the temperatures, Vienna should stay in the top ten destinations until mid-April. Hereinafter, we compiled the top ten locations with the best weather conditions for all training runners:
- Aarhus, Denmark
- Ypres, Belgium
- Munich, Germany
- Cambridge, England
- Rouen, France
- Kakheti, Georgia
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Milano, Italy
- Olten, Switzerland
- Vienna, Austria
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!
The first event locations will soon be sold out, so for anyone who wants to participate, register quickly at: http://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/