Impact of the altitude in SLC (live, air quality, train)

[poopycat]

Hi there,

I am thinking about registering for the SLC half marathon in April. The only thing that is holding me back is the elevated altitude in SLC. I currently live somewhere about 700 feet above sea level, a considerably lower altitude than in SLC.

Will I have problems finishing the race or struggling to catch my breath if I visit for the half marathon? How long does it take to adjust to the altitude? A day or two?

When I went to Peru, where it was 11,000 feet, it took 2-3 days before I could do some serious hiking. Obviously, SLC won't be anywhere near as bad of a change, but I want to be prepared for thinner air.

Thanks!

[irman]

Originally Posted by poopycat

When I went to Peru, where it was 11,000 feet, it took 2-3 days before I could do some serious hiking. Obviously, SLC won't be anywhere near as bad of a change, but I want to be prepared for thinner air.

In Peru, you also did not have to run a marathon !

Why not just try, and be reasonable.
When you get wheezy, just give up !

Is it that bad to not complete a marathon ?

[ksman]

You have plenty of time to train before the run. You will likely run a slower pace than you train, but there's no reason you can't finish if prepared. If you can arrive a few days early, all the better. The half is a net downhill race, so you will have that going for you. Really the only uphill section when I ran this year was at around mile 5 or 6 heading east on South Temple. I think the course is the same next year.

Unless you're a pro, these things are about having fun and just doing your best. Sign up.

[Geo-Aggie]

Give yourself a day or two to acclimate and you'll be okay, but your lungs just won't be trained to operate on decreased oxygen for a couple hours, so plan on running a slower time as your push yourself less to compensate. You can finish. No question in my mind about that, but you'll definitely run a slower time. I know that all my best times have come at lower elevations and I have a pretty obvious advantage over locals when I run at sea level.

[poopycat]

Thanks for the information - very helpful in making my decision.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Drink 2x as much water as you think you need to avoid headaches.

[Coffeequeen]

Do some googling on actual sport sites for factual info. A few days ahead of time is actually the worst option, either have a period of > 2 weeks or arrive as late as possible. SLC is probably at about 4500 and if the air is bad then there is a double whammy. As it is just a half, start as early as possible to give yourself extra time and as has been said, dehydration is a big issue. Are there no nicer places to run a half than SLC in April? APril can go either way , weather wise. Not so much in the last 2 years, but you never know.

[CCSLC]

Originally Posted by Coffeequeen

SLC is probably at about 4500 and if the air is bad then there is a double whammy.

It is not possible for the Salt Lake Valley to have an inversion in April. Inversion season is almost always over by the end of February, and ALWAYS by the middle of March.

[UTES]

Originally Posted by CCSLC

It is not possible for the Salt Lake Valley to have an inversion in April.

It is possible. It's simply not as probable.

Bill

[CCSLC]

Originally Posted by UTES

It is possible. It's simply not as probable.

Bill

It's really not. Even if freak temperatures allowed, the valley is far too windy and/or rainy in April for inversion stagnation to occur. It's never happened, for as long as we've been monitoring air quality.