Heart of America Marathon runners enjoy cooler running weather

The 67th Heart of America Marathon took place Monday morning, with runners enjoying cooler weather than had been around over the weekend.

The race, which goes around parts of southwest Columbia and southwestern Boone County, started at 6 a.m. Temperatures stayed lower than they had been Saturday and Sunday; the high temperatures on those days reached 100 degrees and 94 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Lower humidity also helped the outside air feel more pleasant.

Because the marathon happens every Labor Day, when temperatures can still reach high and potentially dangerous levels, race organizers said they took extra precautions.

Volunteers and organizers set up aid stations ever couple of miles, for a total of 13 in all. Each station had water jugs with around 300 cups and between five and 15 gallons of water for runners.

The race also provided a trail vehicle to monitor the aid stations and runners and help encourage them to exit the course if they had any signs of heat exhaustion or injuries.