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Donna N.
Donna N. Sendmail

Do I need to worry about elevation difference?

posted 9 months ago | Report

The elevation where I live is 2077 ft. I am training for my first marathon, which will take place at an elevation of 3950 ft. Is this an elevation difference I need to worry about? I just have no clue. A friend was asking me about it and it hadn't occurred to me to even consider it. I have pretty low blood pressure in general, if that makes a difference...

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  • MichaelPRO
    Michael Sendmail

    With you almost doubling your elevation, I believe you will find it a bit harder to breath. However, with good conditioning (which you'll obviously have if you're about to run a marathon), you might barely notice it.

    posted 9 months ago

  • Dan M.
    Dan M. Sendmail

    Here is a nifty calculator for O2 concentrations at different altitudes:
    http://www.altitude.org/air_pressure.php
    Plugging in your values, it doesn't look like you should have too many problems.

    posted 9 months ago

  • Newfile
    Newfile Sendmail

    I moved my comment to my profile page

    posted 9 months ago | edited 9 months ago

  • Chris B.
    Chris B. Sendmail

    I cannot speak to the low blood pressure issue other than to say I do discuss these issues with my doctor, who also runs. I live and train about 5 ft above sea level and have run the Leadville 100 twice with no altitude problems. My suggestion is to not worry about it. Its your first marathon. Are you trying to win? Screw it. Finish your training, run your marathon, and have a good time.

    posted 9 months ago

  • Donna N.
    Donna N. Sendmail

    Thanks so much, guys! I guess I just won't stress about it too much. I'll run it past my doctor for safe measure, but other than that I'm going to focus on having fun. :)

    posted 9 months ago

  • Kyle K.
    Kyle K. Sendmail

    Do not worry about things you cannot do anything about :)

    posted 9 months ago

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