Weather’s Impact on New York City’s Marathon

Runners cross the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge in the NYC Marathon

The New York City Marathon is one of the world’s most celebrated and important.  Starting in 1970, the original marathon route consisted of repeated laps around Central Park.  However, the route was updated to include all five boroughs of New York City at a total distance of 26.2 miles.  It begins in Staten Island and runners cross the finish line in Central Park.  

It is held during the fall, when the weather is usually conducive for distance running.  But that isn’t always the case.  In 1984, the high temperature reached 79 degrees on October 28 when the Marathon took place.  That is the average high in Central Park on August 30, so it was unusual to occur in the late fall.  Unfortunately, one runner succumbed to the heat and died of a heart attack while numerous other runners had to be treated for heat-related illnesses.

The weather was the opposite extreme for the Marathon in 1995.  On November 12, the high temperature was only 40 degrees (which is the average high temperature on December 26).  It was also a very windy day with winds blowing between 20 and 30 mph and gusts as high as 58 mph.  There was also a considerable amount of rain in the 24 hours leading up to the race so that created additional hardship for runners.  Windy, cold and wet conditions can be just as harmful for runners as warm and humid conditions.  Fortunately, there were no serious cold-related illnesses or medical emergencies.

The 2012 New York City Marathon was ultimately canceled because of the damage caused by former Hurricane Sandy.  There was an initial delay in canceling the event but once the scope of the damage was assessed across the New York Metropolitan Area, city officials and organizers realized they had no choice but to cancel it.  

Fortunately, the 2014 Marathon that occurred yesterday featured dry and cool weather.  The weather wasn’t as taxing for the runners as a whole as it has been in previous years.