Keeping Olympic marathon spectators cool
Standing for hours within crowds of people in hot, sunny and humid conditions is a recipe for heat-related illness — but that’s what spectators at the Tokyo Summer Olympics marathons may be dealing with on Aug. 2 and 9, 2020.
To help city officials and the Tokyo Olympic Committee prepare for extreme heat, Arizona State University senior sustainability scientists Jenni Vanos and Ariane Middel were part of a team that measured and mapped out microclimates along the marathon course to identify hot spots where spectators may face discomfort or illness.
Vanos, Middel and colleagues from the U.S. and the University of Tokyo published a Science of the Total Environment journal article detailing their findings and recommending actions to keep spectators comfortable and minimize their risk of heat illness. Read about the findings on ASU Now.