‘Same frying pan’: Marathoners brace for heat at Tokyo Olympic Games

Eliud Kipchoge looks at the early-morning heat and the heavy humidity forecast for the marathon with a cool demeanor.

“All of us,” the defending Olympic champion from Kenya recently said, “will be in the same frying pan.”

The Olympic marathons, along with the race walks, were shifted all the way north to Sapporo due to the extreme heat in Tokyo. It’s at least a 1 1/2-hour flight, or two long train rides away, but a heat wave means it’s really no cooler in the Hokkaido island capital.

“No worries,” Kipchoge said. “Just go and run, compete and the best one will win.”

When the women’s race finishes Saturday at the Tokyo Games, it’s supposed to be nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) with 71% humidity.

Those aren’t easy running conditions.

The men’s version Sunday may bring more cloud cover — maybe even some rain — and a more reasonable temperature of 79 (26 C). But the humidity will hover around 86% making it feel much toastier.

Some of the competitors in the Olympic field got a blast of furnace-type heat and humidity at the 2019 world championships in Doha. That race was a midnight run and still hit 88 degrees (31 C), with a heat index was 105 (40 C). It led to nearly 30 runners not getting to the finish line as Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya captured gold.

She’s among the favorites at the Tokyo Olympics. There could be quite a few “DNFs” — did not finish — given the conditions.

Along the looping race-walk course Friday, there was a screen that featured an up-to-date temperature reading.

Friendly tip from 50-kilometer Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee when the marathoners take the stage: Don’t look at it. The rising thermometer only makes it feel hotter.

“It was brutal out there,” Dunfee said after winning a bronze medal.

The marathons start at 7 a.m. local time, which means plenty of sun along a course that begins at Odori Park. The route features a large loop along with two smaller ones, before ending back in the park.

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This path could’ve been an ideal place for fans. But like the events in Tokyo, spectators are asked to watch on television to limit the risk of coronavirus infection.

“I would be more happy if all these challenges were not there and fans could be lining up on the road to cheer us, give us hope,” Kipchoge said. “All in all, we respect the authorities. We respect the challenges.”

Since the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, the debate over footwear technology has received plenty of traction in the running community.