Hong Kong Marathon 2024: mercury to dip to 15 degrees for annual event after warm week; expert says cooler conditions ideal
- Temperatures are expected to drop to 15 degrees on Sunday next week for Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, after warm and fine weather
- Lobo Louie from the Education University of Hong Kong says cooler weather is welcome, tells runners to get at least seven hours of quality sleep before event
The Observatory said the mercury would dip to 15 degrees the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on January 21 and fall to as low as 13 degrees next Tuesday as a cold front moves across southern China.
Lobo Louie Hung-tak, associate head of the health and physical education department at the Education University of Hong Kong, on Sunday said the best temperature range for running was between 10 and 15 degrees.
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“Cool weather allows runners to release the heat and maintain the core temperature of the body at around 37 degrees Celsius,” he said. “A lower relative humidity would also help … one gram of sweat evaporation equals 0.58 kilocalories of heat loss.”
The weather was expected to remain fine and warm during the week before the cold front arrived.
On Sunday, conditions were fine and dry, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius.
The temperature reached as high as 29 degrees in some parts of the New Territories in the afternoon.
The northeast monsoon will reach the coast of southern China later on Monday, bringing windy weather in the middle of the week.
The Observatory said temperatures will rise slightly in the latter part of the week, ranging from 19 to 24 degrees on Friday and Saturday, before dipping on Sunday.
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Louie reminded runners to start cutting back on training volume to assist physical recovery.
They should also adjust their biological clock because many athletes are used to training at night, instead of early morning, when the race is held.
“It is usually cooler in the morning, they could do some training at early hours to get used to the sudden dip of temperature,” Louie said.
He added runners should get at least seven hours of quality sleep before the event.
