Races in Florida: Signs of Heat Stroke

The A1A Marathon and Half Marathon are some of the most fun races in Florida. Amid all the excitement of awesome entertainment, mouth-watering restaurants, and spending time in one of the most beautiful places in Florida—Fort Lauderdale, don’t forget to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Running in warm weather is much different than running in cool climates, so it is extremely important to know the signs of sunstroke and heat exhaustion.

Your entire race will be monitored by health and safety professionals, so you won’t be in any danger while you race. But we don’t want you to have a bad experience at the race! To make sure you have the best experience possible, try to remember this list of symptoms. If you feel any of these while running at home or during the race, take a break and, if they continue, seek medical attention.

-Rapid Heart Rate -Pale Skin -Headache -Profuse Sweating -Dizziness -Fainting -Dark Urine -Nausea -Unusual Muscle Cramping

If you feel any of the symptoms above and are not in a position to get help from someone with medical knowledge, there are a few things you can do to help yourself.

#1- Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body. That means before, during, and after the race. Once the cells of your body start to receive water again, they will resume working at their normal level.

#2- Remove any tight clothing. Allowing air to circulate across the skin is a great way to cool down and get your body back to its natural temperature.

#3- Take a cool shower or put a cool cloth on your body. Anything you can do to cool off and reduce sweating is a great idea and discourages the further loss of water through the skin.

Do not ignore the signs of heat exhaustion. Sunstroke is unpleasant at the least, can slow you down, put your body through unnecessary stress, and possibly put you in the hospital.

Now that you have all the facts, sign up to run in the A1A Marathon with no worries!