Marathon Runners Face New Challenges as Climate Changes
As the world’s largest marathon unfolded in New York City on November 2nd, 2025, with over 50,000 participants, the weather was favorable—a situation that may become increasingly rare, as a recent study suggests climate change could significantly impact future marathon conditions globally.
Chikage Windler, CBS Austin’s Chief Meteorologist and a passionate runner, highlights the growing complexity of identifying ideal running temperatures. “As a runner and a meteorologist, the one thing that’s most important is temperatures. And finding those optimal temperatures is becoming increasingly more complicated,” she states.
Chikage Windler in College Station (Chikage Windler)
In College Station, Texas, runners at the Oktoberfest Half Marathon enjoyed temperatures in the low 60s—a record-setting turnout. However, with the full marathon six weeks away, hopes are for cooler conditions.
Oktoberfest runners (Chikage Windler)
Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, emphasizes the importance of the right temperatures for marathon success. “26 plus miles is hard on its own, but you have to have that sweet spot of temperature. So we really want to understand how is climate change impacting these big races and our ability to run them as well,” he explains.
Climate Central Meteorologist Shel Winkley (Chikage Windler)
A study by Climate Central, unveiled in late October 2025, analyzed 221 marathons worldwide, including the prestigious Abbott World Majors. Winkley notes, “Just the optimal temperature for your body to perform. And so for elite male runners, that sweet spot is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Now for elite female runners, that sweet spot’s higher. It’s a threshold of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Marathon Dashboard (Climate Central)
For average runners, the optimal temperature is slightly warmer. Kyleigh Carter, who completed the Oktoberfest run, suggests, “I would say maybe like 65 degrees. Probably would be my perfect run weather.”
Kyleigh Carter (Chikage Windler)
Despite the heat, some runners like UPS driver Nat Nettum adapt well. “You acclimate to it over years of doing it, and you know, the heat doesn’t really affect you as bad as people who have inside office jobs,” he mentions.
Nat Nettum (Chikage Windler)
Winkley adds that Tokyo is statistically the marathon most likely to offer optimal running temperatures. However, in 2025, the event saw temperatures 15 degrees above normal. “Then we’re looking into the future at 2045. So the races that we know that are going to be the hardest to find those optimal temperatures, the Tokyo marathon, especially for elite male runners, the Berlin marathon which this year had record heat around,” he notes.
Chance of optimal running temperatures (Climate Central)
As Winkley outlines, reducing heat-trapping pollution could be crucial for future marathons. “We understand that burning things like coal, oil, and methane gas are putting this heat-trapping pollution into our atmosphere. Being able to get more renewables into our electric grids, that’s going to be the biggest way that we can bring down that heat-trapping pollution and save our marathons going forward,” he concludes.
Runners at Oktoberfest (Chikage Windler)
For further insights, read the complete Climate Central report here.
Original Story at cbsaustin.com