Heart of America Marathon organizers step up heat safety protocols ahead of 67th annual race

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Heart of America Marathon is hosting its 67th annual race on Monday, and staff are taking extra precautions for runners because of the hot weather.

The marathon will be hosted by the Columbia Track Club and President Trae Miller said it was "all hands on deck" to prepare because of the heat.

"It's the second-oldest marathon in the United States; it's the oldest in Missouri, and it's one of the hardest as far as notability goes. And so we have some hard hills, but we also have some hot heat," said Miller.

One thing Miller said is specific to this race is the aid stations that will be set up every couple of miles.

Miller adds there will be 13 aid stations located on the course. Each one will have two water jugs ranging from 5 to 15 gallons and roughly 300 cups for runners.

"What that does is it just allows them to have a space for them to recover," said Miller.

A trail vehicle will be on site to check in with aid stations. The vehicle will be monitoring the race and will help maneuver runners or encourage them off the course if any signs of heat exhaustion or other injuries occur.

Miller said they will be checking the wet-bulb globe temperature, which monitors factors like humidity, direct sunlight, and wind. This will track runners' ability to cool down and volunteers to assess the heat danger throughout the marathon.

The race begins at 6 a.m. and has a hard 6-hour cut-off time at noon.

Volunteers stationed throughout the marathon will have a staggered start so they are not sitting out in the sun, especially if they are stationed at miles towards the end of the race.

"And then for the volunteers, we are doing a staggered start. So they don't just all come out at six in the morning and stay out until noon," said Miller. "That way [volunteers] can still rest and recover [themselves]."

There will be a shuttle bus running from the designated hotel to the parking lot to help spectators navigate their way around the course and stay out of the heat.

"If you're going to be out and about, make sure that you're not exposing yourself directly in the sun, just being mindful," said Miller.

Coordination was made with Boone Health and there will be 3 medical personnel on site with an ambulance ready to help in any emergency.

Miller said runners can take precautions at home to help themselves stay safe during the race.

"Coming into a race like this, you're not trying to do everything the night before and you're trying to make sure that you given a few days," said Miller.

Miller adds eating food that will fuel your body for the race and staying hydrated, but not overhydrated, are some of the key components for runners during this marathon.

This marathon is one of the longest-standing marathons in America, and Miller said it is one that needs training due to its difficulty level.

"The beauty and the curse of this marathon is it's a love-hate relationship to many," said Miller. "Those that do come out, when they finish, they're not looking for this magical time. They're just looking to be able to say, I was able to run HOA."

Miller said there aren't many marathons in Columbia, so the community that the HOA marathon brings in is one worth seeing.

"This is just a very local race," said Miller. "As we keep on keeping on with getting the race to start, we always encourage people to come on out and just kind of see the community in action."