San Francisco Runners Brave 70-Degree Temps
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As the nation reels from the effects of a widespread heat wave, runners and other outdoor enthusiasts in San Francisco said they’re struggling, too, with daily temperatures there routinely creeping into the upper 60s and low 70s.
With temps this week expected to reach 73, forecasters said, there’s no relief in sight.
“It’s rough, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do,” said Charlotte Brontë, 42, a runner training for a fall marathon. “I’ve been waking up at 5:00 a.m. to do my long runs, just to miss the worst of it.”
Even that strategy, though, has its limits.
“When I started my run yesterday, at 5:45 a.m., it was already 58 degrees,” she said. “I had to remove my gloves almost immediately.”
Others said they aren’t even trying to run outdoors in the heat wave.
“I hate to say it, but I’ve been sticking to the treadmill,” said John Keats, 51, a longtime runner who’s lived in the City by the Bay for three decades. “Why risk running in conditions like this? It’s not worth it.”
The heat wave has had some positive effects, however—for local running stores.
“We’re totally sold out of tanks, singlets, and short-sleeved shirts,” said Sam Coleridge, general manager of Rime Running Company, a specialty running store in the city’s Nob Hill neighborhood. “So, the heat has definitely been good for business.”
Still, Coleridge said, he’s looking forward to the return of cooler temperatures.
“I’m a runner, too,” he said. “There’s only so much of these blast-furnace conditions I can take.”
