Which is better for running – hot and dry or cold and wet? Personally, I’d prefer the heat but statistically it seems that the colder, wetter weather is better for finishing times. Last year’s BMO Vancouver marathon was the hottest in the race’s 42 year history (with temperatures over 20 C). This year it was cool and rainy (never getting above 10 C), but across the board times were faster. The winners were around 3 minutes faster than last year. The median times for men were 9 minutes faster. And there was a less slowdown between the first and second halves of the race, with 3 times more people running negative splits (faster 2nd halves). The only negative changes – less finishers and less Boston qualifiers (not sure why that is).
| 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|
| Finishers | 3877 | 3783 |
| Negative Splits | 99 | 293 |
| Second Half Slowdown | 7.7% | 5.7% |
| Fastest – Male | 2:24:09 | 2:21:08 |
| Fastest – Female | 2:40:34 | 2:37:00 |
| Median Time – Male | 4:10:28 | 4:01:38 |
| Median Time – Female | 4:29:45 | 4:26:29 |
| Boston Qualifiers | 375 | 357 |
Here is the analysis I did last year: 2013 Results Analysis. If I have time I’ll do some more in depth analysis for the half marathon results.
Canadian Veggie 
Very interesting. Did not run the full, but did the half. Was sooooooooooo cold once the race was over. 😦
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Agreed. I didn’t have enough warm clothing at the end. I could have used a towel too.
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Interesting. They always keep pools used for competitive swimming on the cooler side, because it makes people swim faster. The explanation I’ve heard has to do with vasoconstriction.
Although with running, I could imagine that you may drink more in hotter weather, and that alone may slow you down.
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