Health officials in Vancouver are encouraging runners participating in the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Sunday, May 3, to adjust their goals due to an “unseasonably warm forecast.”
“Although it’s not expected to reach the threshold for a heat warning in the BC Heat Alert Response System, marathon participants may not be acclimatized to running in heat, which can lead to heat-related illness and injury,” reads a bulletin from Vancouver Coastal Health on Saturday (May 2).
Temperatures in Vancouver are expected to be around 25˚C by tomorrow afternoon.
The Vancouver Coastal Health bulletin listed several recommendations, including that runners adjust their goals due to the hotter-than-expected weather, slow their planned pace, stay hydrated, avoid heavy layers, wear sunscreen, and apply ice or ice packs in a hat, shorts, or sports bra.
The marathon and half-marathon start near Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver and finish in downtown Vancouver. The 8km starts in Stanley Park on Lagoon Drive.