Chicago marathon shut down because of humidity and record-breaking temps
The 88-degree temperature Sunday became a new record high for the Chicago marathon, and it also caused the 26.2-mile course to be shut down four hours after it started, reports the Associated Press in the Star Tribune.
Organizers diverted runners back to the starting mark where medical attention and cooling misters were available. An unknown number of runners who made it past the halfway-mark were allowed to keep running after it was decided that the heat and humidity were dangerous.
"We're seeing a lot of our participants slowing," race director Carey Pinkowski said. "It was a contingency plan we had in place and we decided to implement as a precautionary measure."
Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the race, with Jaouad Gharib, Morocco, only 0.05 seconds behind. It was the races closet finish. His unofficial time was 2 hours, 11 minutes, 11 seconds.
Ethiopian Berhane Adere defended her title in the women's race, finishing in 2:33:49. Romania's Adriana Pirtea had a 30-second lead in the final miles, but Adere pushed her last mile and finsihed three seconds before Pirtea.