In1961, U.S. psychologist Stanley Milgram undertook a study to observe the behaviors of some individuals in certain situations, hypothesizing that in the presence of authority, the self-determination of individuals could be lost, effectively de-empowering them for their actions.
Whenever there is a race with very high temperatures, or adverse weather conditions of various kinds, my mind takes a very long ride and I think back to the Milgram experiment, although the focus and context of that experiment were quite different.
Organizing a running race is something enormously complex; my dispassionate advice is to try to be on the other side at least once-the side of the organizer-to be able to judge properly. That being said, it is clear that the organizer has (many) duties to those who run, which should always be put first.
None of us is yet able to control the weather at will, but while some situations are in fact unpredictable many others are not. If we expect particularly high temperatures during a race-and if we are competing in mid-May it is a given that this can happen, especially if temperatures have not been clement in the previous days-it is essential that we plan for more water and salts at the refreshments, as well as at the sponges, if there are any.
I say this very clearly: if a runner, even if he or she is the last one, arrives at a refreshment station and does not find what is expected (water, salts or food whatever), it is unacceptable. It is even more unacceptable if the situation leading to this failure (the heat) was widely predicted and predictable. It is even more unacceptable when we are talking about an organization with decades of experience and large budgets at its disposal.
However (and here we return to the incipit and the good Milgram). There is one word that is always close to my heart when it comes to sports, any sports, and that word is awareness.
If you sign up for a race in the middle of May, you-as well as the organizer-know that it may be hot, you know that the moment you sign up. Then if you realize a few days before the race that it is indeed (and will be) very hot, it is first up to you to adjust accordingly: hydrating properly is something you should start doing as early as a few days before the event, for example. When in doubt maybe bring an emergency flask to hold. Above all, if it’s really hot you might even think of running that race in a different spirit: maybe it’s not the case of going all out looking for the PB you set for yourself, maybe you can slow down and enjoy those miles as a workout where you figure out how to handle the high temperatures, but without going over the edge, so as to increase that self-awareness that you can use at the next torrid race. And you drink the beer at the finish line.
One more thing. You know the start times and you know the logistics: no one is forcing you to sign up for a race that starts at 11 a.m. If you decide to do it though, it’s not like you can then complain that it starts at that time. At most you can complain to yourself for not evaluating it properly. Rather, prepare yourself knowing that it will start at that time.
We are adults. We are self-determined. Almost none of us are professional athletes, and no one is holding a gun to our heads to run this or that race. That extra bit of awareness wouldn’t hurt.
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Cover photo by claude elmoznino on Unsplash
