The debate over health and safety of marathoners not used to running in warm weather climates is ongoing. Even with careful planning, unpredictable weather can occur which is the situation that organizers of the Samsung Tel Aviv Marathon were faced with on Friday. With more than 35,000 runners participating in all events, including some 2,000 marathoners, organizers bumped the start time an hour earlier for all events kicking off the marathon at 5:45am. As the sun and temperatures were simultaneously rising, the organizers made the decision to stop the marathon after four and a half hours, due to concerns over the unpredictably high temperatures. But even with these precautions in place, during the course of the race, nearly 75 runners sustained injuries that included bruises, sprains and dehydration while two runners, one participating in the half marathon and the other in the 10K event, were hospitalized.
When asked about the two hospitalized runners, Alon Solar, Tel Aviv City Council Minister of Sport and one of the key players in resurrecting the marathon seven years ago, says that it’s something organizers worked hard to mitigate. “When you have close to 40,000 people participating in an event, this can happen and we hear about it at races all around the world,” he says. Solar says the marathon committee has taken the warmer temperatures into serious consideration, especially after a runner died two years ago when the decision was made to postpone the marathon should temperatures rise about 28C. The event was also moved from its original April date to February a time of year where temperatures are typically much cooler than Friday’s conditions. “We aren’t experts in medical care, but we follow the guidelines and recommendations of the committee of representatives from the Ministry of Health,” explains Solar adding that emergency medical staff were also on hand at the finish line to assist injured runners. At the same time, many runners, including Solar say there’s no way of accounting for a runner’s training and level of preparedness for either the distance or weather conditions.
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While Solar is not dismissing the seriousness of injuries, he’s also focusing in on the positive side of the marathon and what it means on a local, national and international level. “The importance of the marathon, is tremendous,” says Solar. “Having events like this have improved participation in sport and fitness activities among residents of Tel Aviv.” With the Tel Aviv Marathon scoring a new record set by Kenyan’s William Kiprono, (2:10:28), the event continues to garner the participation of elite international athletes. With planning already underway for next year’s marathon weekend, Solar, remains positive that participation will continue to increase. “Tel Aviv is one of the best cities in the world, and we hope the marathon and all of the events, will give people a chance to live a little of our vibe.”
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