Coming from San Diego - I really layered up.

I wore: quick-dry long-sleeve base layer + singlet, TNF All Proof jacket, gloves, hat + beanie, and quick-dry run tights. Once I warmed up I was "comfortable" for the entire race (and didn't end up in a med tent with hypothermia)...

Finish time - 2:59

I saw a picture of the elite women running and was astounded at how little some of them were wearing. I think alot of them really hurt their performances.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/sports/boston-marathon.html

---

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

I've never done this before and probably would test it before trying, but I'd have seriously considered layering my legs with petroleum jelly or something similar..

I used to do that when playing soccer during cold and windy games. Seems to have worked. I also do it with my feet for cold runs too.

---

Twitter - Instagram

I wore Adidas thermo top, with shorts + knee high socks. Gloves and and a beanie that. I've worn that combo in exactly the same conditions for a 10 miler, so I felt confident I could pull it off again. (And that was probably my best race ever so I went with what I knew)

I was wrong. I was fine until about the halfway point at which point I began to wear down my energy reserves. The wheels came off at heartbreak hill and I got colder as the race went on. I ended up doing a 1:27 / 1:41 positive split.

If I had to do it again I'd have added thermo tights and probably another layer on top (tech shirt). Though you probably could t go wrong with rain jacket as well. (Or even a plastic bag - you'll be wet but at least it will be slightly warmer)

still you pulled a phenomenal 2:46. that's fr amazing. in those conditions. gee. r e s p e c t !

I'll bet no one else thought of including a 1996 / 100th Anniversary BIB in their outfit

https://www.marathoninvestigation.com/...ns-retro-bandit.html

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Not a parachute jacket like #1 wore.

That's how I felt. It was really about knowing or guessing how little you could get away with, since any extra material would catch the wind and rain. Not bonking was also important. I was fine in a long sleeve T-shirt and shorts, but I have more body fat than the elites.

How was it sitting around in Athlete's village? Did they provide extra shelter or were people forced to be outside in the rain? Man, the race is bad enough, but having to sit around for hours in the cold rain is just icing on the cake.

I would compare the "Athlete's Village" to a death camp or a really, really bad refugee camp - i was standing in 2 inches of cold mud for almost 2 hrs before the race. The tent i was in was cold, miserable, trash everywhere, people trying to figure out how to sit down on garbage so not to get wet.....just really bad. They could have brought in tarps to put down for floors, blower/heaters and had chemical hand/feet warmers and hot drinks at every corner of every tent, but nope.

I started the race with my feet so cold i felt like i was running on blocks of wood and it took two miles before i felt blood circulating properly in my feet.

Not fun.

They had tents which were relatively dry inside, but still cold and windy. You also had to cross a moat of 3 inch deep mud to get in and out. I was there early and had a trash bag to sit on and lots of extra layers (plus extra shoes), so I was fine. But it was getting pretty crowded by the time they started calling people to the start.

I believe we've been calling that "Bioprene" around here, lately

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

2018 was my 14th straight Boston Marathon (2:59pb) and by far the worst weather conditions I have ever seen in over 100 competitive races.

2007 had race cancellation rumors but the Nor Easter was no big deal during the race.
2012 31C (89F) finish was overwhelming for most, but I did 3:08 and had my highest placing of 14 Bostons.
2015 started at 6C (felt like 3C) and finished 7C (felt like 3C) with rain at times. I wore a tri singlet and tri shorts with arm sleeves and was shivering by 10k. Finished in 3:12 but took me 30 minutes in a hot shower to feel anything. Swore I would never run again :)

Learning from my 2015 mistakes, this year I wore:
- latex swim cap! (was best idea as kept head warm) and DriFit hat overtop
- CwX thin compression base layer top
- Skins Compression top
- Skins Bike Jacket - felt nicely tight and aero!
- garbage bag stuffed UNDER base layer in front of chest and abdomen (next time, wear bag over whole torso like shirt before putting shirt over top, or wear bag like shirt bn 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd layers - that way complete coverage without gaps and can still tear bag and throw away if too hot)
- plan was to throw away garbage bags part way but remember that will get warm after first few miles but then will get chill if temps still cold later. Better to keep everything on during whole race unless extremely hot.
- Skins Compression tights
- garbage bag stuffed down front of each thigh under tights (next time can do back of leg too or wear bag around each leg like pant before putting tights over top)
- Skins Compression socks (went knee high underneath tights)
- gloves: 2 latex gloves, 1 black nylon glove, 1 Sugoi Bike glove + Hot shot hand warmer on EACH hand ie. 4 layers on each hand - even with all that, my hands were still the coldest part of my body!
-Throw away clothes: 4 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 hat worn to start.

I am always a lot colder (I am 150lbs, 5% bodyfat) than my buddy who is 185lbs (and FAT:) who felt 'comfortable' in 2015 and 2018 wearing less layers.

The key for me this year was wearing the swim cap the entire race (thank God I am a triathlete!) - I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone else mention that idea.

Also key were the garbage bags UNDER the clothes. I couldn't believe that I saw many people wearing their garbage bags ON TOP of their whole kit for the entire race! With that headwind of 27-55km/h, it was literally a sail pulling you backwards.
I was very aero and the bags kept those areas dry and warm.
My hands were cold even with 4 gloves and hot shots. I would try my neoprene wetsuit gloves next time. Hell, if I ever face those conditions again, I might even wear a wetsuit the entire race next time :) I remember in a 70.3 a few years ago, some wore their wetsuits on the bike!

The saving grace for me since 2014 has been a private charter bus to the Hopkinton Athletes' Village - with bathroom on the bus and being able to wait on the heated bus until I want to walk to the start line, that has been a life saver in 2015 and 2018.

Finished 2018 in 3:13 (much better than I felt) and requalified for #15!
Funny that my fastest split was from the finish line, I ran and grabbed my medal, hopped the fence back near the finish line, and ran to my room at the Charlesmark Hotel (at the finish line) - from race finish to shower in 5 minutes!

I would just have worn simple Joggers and a tee.
That is my preference for any marathon because it is comfortable and flexible!

---

- Renuka

That all sounds excessive, but obviously it was not. Wetsuit sounds like a hilariously good idea. As do the neoprene gloves.

Since the garbage bags don't breathe, was sweating an issue? Seems like a Gore-tex (or similar) raincoat could have been substituted for the chest/ab bag.

---

-------------------
Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

How does having the double numbers on your BIB compare to have double letters in your name on the cheating index? In this case the BIB has a double double numbers things going on (6550 and 100).

Wore a dri-fit base layer, singlet, arm warmers, gloves, beanie with waterproof running hat on it. Dumped the beanie after 4 miles and gloves at about 20. I was never really cold while running except for trying to get my hands to function after my shoe came untied at mile 14. Actually ended up with one of my faster Boston times I think because I took it out extremely conservatively because of the conditions.

The time in athletes village and after the race are an entirely different story. I dont think I've ever been as cold as the walk back to the hotel after.

How about triple double, double triple, an quadruple digits in your ST username?

(ducks)

---

Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

You may have missed the discussion about the weather during the Boston Marathon :-)

---

Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

Singlet, Split shorts, Beanie/toque that I was ready to throw out, knit gloves, with those dollar hand warmers inside them.

Wool socks, NB 1500 flats, and a ton of lube everywhere.

New personal best marathon time, 2:57:01 despite only a proper 8 week build up and the total crap weather!!!

Just curous? How were you after? Did you need to go into the warming tent? I know a guy who got a 17 minute PR but really needed the tent after.

At the finish line I was fine. Lots of people seemed to complain that the reflective wraps we got took to long to get to.

I made my way to the family meeting area and was starting to get cold.

My wife wasn’t there, she kept getting turned around because ofvthe barricades and bad directions.

Once I hit about 15 mins after the heat produced running vanished and I was standing there only partially clothed, soaking wet in windy barely above freezing temps so I made my way into a juice press place across the street to warm back up and had a stranger text my wife where I was.

Would have hit the warming busses or tents I was told about had I not gotten into that juice place!

Hmm, mathematically speaking, off the top of my head, I would think 10% of all runners would have [at least] double numbers

Plus those are random, so a person can't really be faulted

And, if a person wasn't inclined to cheat, yet got double numbers on the bib and turned to cheating, there wouldn't be enough time to make a plan

Maybe?

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin