Inexperienced Runners Told To Skip Marathon

Would-be Boston Marathoners who are inexperienced or have a preexisting medical condition are being encouraged to sit it out this year.

Boston Athletic Association officials warn athletes who are not in peak condition to hold off on Monday’s race, citing the weather forecast, which calls for temperatures as high as the upper 80s.

Fears of heat exhaustion are among race organizer’s top concerns.

In response, medical teams have added close to 200 additional volunteers. Spray hoses will also be used at key points along the route.

“We are not in any way telling people they should be more anxious. But we are telling people they need to be careful, that they need to asses carefully their own situation,” says Tom Grilk, executive director of the BAA.

Runners who opt not to compete this year will be allowed to defer their entry to next year.

The hottest race in marathon history was 1976, when it was nearly 100 degrees. That race is known today as “The Run for the Hoses,” because people who lived along the course turned their garden hoses on the runners for relief.