Athletics: Marathon Runners Face Technology Overload

From James Raia:

Participants in the Big Sur International Marathon -- often considered the country's finest marathon - participated last April as the sport's technology reached critical mass.

Energy gels to global positioning systems, hydration packs to heart-rate monitors, today’s marathon and ultramarathon runner has come along way since race entrants found water from available garden hoses along a course.

The most widely discussed technology advancement in the sport is the use of microchip timing.

Many marathons and other road races now require entrants to wear small transponders attached to their shoelaces. When runners cross the starting and finishing lines and several other designated areas on the course, their times are recorded as they run across "receiving" mats.

Although it has been discussed, the Big Sur International Marathon does not utilize Chip timing. According to race officials, the remoteness of the course is not conducive to using the technology properly.

Many of country's other well-known marathons, including the Boston Marathon, require runners to wear "the chip."

Beyond microchip technology, runners individually prepare for marathons with myriad gadgets and newfangled equipment.

"I been here for three years and I know what I can and can’t keep in stock at this time of the year," said David Jackson, manager of the Fleet Feet running and triathlon store in Monterey, Calif.

"Anything the accessory lines, GU (energy gel), Coolmax socks, Body Glide (anti-chafing lubricant), I just can’t keep it in stock. Particularly the GU. It’s across the board of runners. In the past few years, everyone has been using it. People buy it by the case."

Introduced after years of experimentation by Dr. William Vaughan of Berkeley, Calif., 1991, GU is a carbohydrate gel that allows energy to transferrs to muscles substantially more quickly than other foods.

Available in one-ounce packets or in bulk, GU was the first carbohydrate gel and it still dominates the market. But in the past several years, more than a dozen other companies have begun to offer similar gels with flavors ranging from chocolate fudge to banana strawberry.

Gels are fine for nutrition, but it’s dehydration that abruptly halts or hampers many runners' marathons.

Drinking from garden hoses has been replaced by aid stations where water and electrolyte replacement drinks are distributed by volunteers. Still, many runners have become more self-reliant and carry water bottles.

Hydration systems - waist or back packs with water-filled bladders and drinking tubes - have also become increasingly popular.

Hydration systems, of course, eliminate the need for water bottles and can hold more fluids. Most systems hold a minimum of 45 ounces, while others hold as much as 100 ounces.

"A lot of runners are hesitant and they often think that in this area where the weather is often cool that they don't need a lot of water," said Jackson. "They think they have to only carry one bottle, but eventually they come around and realize they need a lot more than they're used to."

Rich Benyo has seen marathons evolve from uncomplicated endeavors to a sport riddled with hidden cameras and computer chips.

As the former editor of Runner’s World Magazine, Benyo now travels throughout North America, speaking at marathon expos as a journalist, veteran marathon runner and race director for more than 30 years.

"Runners expect a lot more," said Benyo, editor of Marathon & Beyond, a bimonthly magazine, and the author of several running books. "It’s not like the old days when the runners would show up, the race director would point to a chalk starting line and then say, 'three, two, one, Go!' On the course somewhere, you'd hand the fastest runner the stopwatch and have him time the rest of the runners when he finished."

Much has changed since 1971 when Benyo directed his first event, a 10 km in rural Pennsylvania. At that time, a runner would know their place via the tongue depressor they were handed a the finish line with a number written on it.

Among the newest technology running advancement are running watches that features Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Similar to the systems used in automobiles, portable systems are now offered by many well-known athletic watch manufacturers. Less complicated systems are available as attachments to shoes.

"It seems like it's more important for some people to know how fast and far they've gone," said Jackson, who sells several watch GPS systems. "For some reasons, it's just not important, but for others, they just have to know."

Heart-rate monitors, which allow runners to train and race according the various designated pulse rates, were exceedingly popular in the 1990s. But Jackson believes the popularity of heart-rate monitors has stabilized.

Perhaps the most annoying dilemma marathon runners face has also been confronted with technology.

Depending upon weather conditions, type of skin and the amount a runner perspires, the discomfort of chafing cause also quickly curtail or end a marathon.

For many years, runners applied petroleum jelly to sensitive body areas to prevent chafing and bleeding. Petroleum jelly stains clothing, however. The most popular option in recent years has been BodyGlide. Applied like a deodorant, the lubricant does not stain and eliminates chafing for several hours.

While many of the technological advancements are optional, others have become standard attire and are now considered common sense:

Consider:

* A good mesh cap with at least a standard-size brim is always a good idea. Particularly as the temperature increases, a breathable cap is a good way to help deter the sun's rays. A lightweight, mesh cap can always been dipped in water on particularly warm days.

* Everyone needs protection the sun's ultra violet (UV) rays and the damaging reflective glare cast off of asphalt, water and snow. Many ophthalmologists recommend polarized sports eyewear, and strong UV protection is a must. Proper fit and distortion-free lenses are essential.

* For as many sizes and shapes of marathoners there, so too are the seemingly as many options for the appropriate running shirts. Particularly on warm days, lightweight, short sleeve or singlets made from Dry Release material can also be dipped in water and used to lower body temperature.

* Looser-fitting shorts are more en vogue in recent years, not only in the NBA, but also in the marathon community. The extra room allows runners more freedom to maneuver up and down hills. Nylon and combined fabrics are preferred over cotton, which does not dry quickly and has no wicking properties.

* Runners should liberally use sunscreen and other skin care products like anti-chafing creams and gels. Preventative products like Tecnu and other poison oak, ivy and sumac remedies should also be used as soon as feasible following trail marathons.

[Originally published in the Monterey Herald, April 2003]

© Copyright 2003, James Raia

Posted with the permission of James Raia.

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