As we brave through the cold weather, it's important to understand how hypothermia occurs so we can best reduce our risk as an endurance athlete. This condition typically arises from exposure to low temperatures or cold water and occurs when the body loses heat faster than it produces heat, causing the core body temperature to fall below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Concurrently, hypothermia can also occur when the weather is not cold but you are exposed to wet or windy conditions for an extended period of time.
Endurance athletes are especially susceptible to hypothermia after completing a race. Since our core body temperature is elevated causing us to sweat throughout the event, some sweat lingers on our clothes and skin after we cross the finish line. This, combined with exposure to cold or windy conditions, increases our risk of hypothermia. Often, this happens when athletes linger at the finish, cheering on their peers after their own race has ended. The combination of damp clothing, sweat, and chilly weather causes a reduction in core body temperature that falls below a safe level.
To reduce your risk for hypothermia after completing an event, shower and/or change clothes directly post-race to remove the wet and damp clothing. Then, return to the race dressed in warm and dry clothes to encourage others to the finish line. Put a spare change of clean and dry clothes in your morning clothes bag prior to the event and change quickly in a port-o before returning to the finish line to cheer on your fellow athletes.
It is important to know and understand the signs and symptoms of hypothermia to help keep you and others safe in training, racing or general outdoor leisure. Signs and symptoms of hypothermia can include:
Your best bet in reducing risk for hypothermia is to use good judgement on weather when training outdoors. In conjunction, it is important to dress in layers. When dressing in layers, wear a base, middle and outer layer plus accessories. Understanding the material for each layer is important. Below is a list the American Red Cross recommends of how each layer will help protect you in colder conditions plus specifics on what materials are best for each layer.
Base Layer
Middle Layer
Outer Layer
In summary, use good judgement on weather before heading outdoors. Dress in layers, being specific with the materials for each layer to help reduce your risk for hypothermia. After completing an event, shower and/or change into clean and dry clothes, then return to the finish line to cheer on your fellow athletes.