Is There A History Of Weather Impacting Track?
There is a history of weather impacting track and field, especially at the Olympics. Although there have not been super famous incidents, such as how certain Grey Cup games have been famously impacted by weather to the point where they have developed nicknames. However, there are many subtle impacts that weather can have on track and field. Most of the examples that will be used in this example.
Can A Track Event Be Cancelled Due To Weather?
Track and field events, especially in the Olympics, are unlikely to be cancelled entirely due to weather due to how large of a cultural event they are. However, they can be postponed due to the weather.
Lightning can cause a delay. If lightning occurs within 10 km (6.2 miles), or breaks the 30-second rule (less than 30 seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder).
Excessive rain and heat can also impact track and field. Rain can make the track slippery, so the event will be postponed until traction improves. Excessive heat can also cause postponement due to fear of heat stroke. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, standing water made the 110 m pole vault unsafe, causing delays.
Can Precipitation Impact Track?
As mentioned earlier, rain can make the track itself slippery. As this can cause runners to fall, a track with too much rain on it will likely lead to a postponement.
Can Temperature Impact Track?
Extremes on both ends can be very dangerous for runners. If the temperature is over 30 C (86 F), then runners become vulnerable to heatstroke and exhaustion, which can lead to postponement in events like the Olympics. This is slowly increasing in frequency, as global warming has already increased the temperature slightly, and is doing so with increasing frequency.
However, the weather being too hot is not the only problem. If the temperature is too cold, it can also be a threat to the safety of runners. If it is below -15 C (5 F), not only are there common threats such as frostbite and hypothermia, but there are also threats to the runners’ muscles. Stiffness, damage to ligaments, and other possible problems are at high risk in track, especially as taking several of the common steps, such as layering up, are not allowed at such an event. This means that the weather being too cold can also lead to a postponement, and although it is unlikely that the summer Olympics will be so cold, it is something that should be kept in mind.
Can Wind Impact Track?
Wind can have an interesting impact on track. If the wind exceeds 65 km/h (40 mph), it becomes dangerous enough to postpone, due to things like objects being blown on the field. Also, a weird quirk for records, is that if there is a backwind (wind going in the same direction as the runners) of over 2 metres per second, records will not be recorded, although the final result will remain valid for victory. This means that if someone wins a gold medal with a backwind stronger than 2 metres per second, although they will get their medal and it will contribute to their country’s medal count for those Olympics, if they break a record, it will not officially count. This means that if someone like Usain Bolt had broken his record with a strong enough backwind, his record wouldn’t have stood.
Can Fog Impact Track?
Fog usually won’t have a large impact on track and field, unless it is extreme. A runner usually doesn’t need more than a few feet of visibility to run on a fixed track. However, super-heavy fog might cause a delay for an event if fans and cameras can’t see the runners.
