Overdress to Acclimatize

An article published last week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine summarized two manuscripts on how elite marathon runners and race walkers coped with hot and humid conditions during the 2019 World Athletic Championships. Questionnaires on acclimation, hydration and cooling strategies were analyzed along with core and skin temperature checks. Among the strategies, 63% of the athletes reported acclimating prior to competing. These athletes were also better ranked, less likely to not finish or have an in-race medical event, alongside having lower thermal strain than the other athletes (Racinais et al. 2021; Racinais et al., 2022).

The research reaffirmed results of previous research by Ely et al. demonstrating heat acclimation was indeed effective and the best strategy to improve performance in a hot environment (2018). Despite that this and the aforementioned studies were on highly trained individuals, sub-elite athletes would similarly benefit from implementing an acclimation strategy. While not matching the response of actually being in a hot environment, athletes lacking access may still experiment with overdressing when training to effectively stimulate responses necessary for adaptation, e.g., increasing sweat rate, skin temperatures, etc.

So, in preparation for your summer race, keep your tights on!