DOHA, Qatar — Steeplechaser Emma Coburn has spent the past five weeks training in the Swiss mountains to defend her title at the 2019 IAAF World Track and Field Championships.
She seems unconcerned about the high temperatures in Doha, a worry that has surrounded the upcoming championships along with other factors like air quality and the length of the season, which was extended so the meet could be held when the weather is cooler.
“I’ve raced a dozen times in really tough, hot conditions and know the protocols that my body best responds to,” Coburn said. “I didn’t do any heat training. I just tried to go get as fit as I could and know the methods I need to do on race day to cope with the heat.”
The other four athletes at USA Track and Field’s press conference on Wednesday at Khalifa Stadium agreed that those factors would not affect their performances.
The IAAF attempted to account for some of these factors, like the heat, by moving the IAAF championships from early August until late September, which also extended the amount of time that athletes needed to be training and maintaining top shape.
In response to rumors that conditions might cause the women’s marathon and 50-kilometer racewalks to be canceled, IAAF president Sebastian Coe said during a press conference Thursday that that the races are “permanently under review” to keep the athletes safe.
With the high temperatures in Doha averaging 103 degrees this week, the weather is still uncomfortable, but in August, temperatures were averaging a high of 106 degrees. The U.S. athletes are confident in the stadium’s cooling system and its ability to produce high-level performances.
“I don’t think it really makes a difference,” said Rai Benjamin, the world’s No. 2 400-meter hurdler. “I think you go out there and run regardless of the conditions. I’ve been on the track, and it’s a lot cooler on the track than it is outside.”
Dalilah Muhammad, the world record holder in the 400 hurdles, won her event at the Diamond League meet here in May. “I felt the cooling system and actually loved it,” she said. “As a sprinter, I don’t think it affects me much.”
Competitors in other events agreed.
“For us, as field events, we like it a little bit warmer,” said shot putter Ryan Crouser, the Olympic gold medalist in Rio. “We aren’t used to the humidity, but the training has been good for the couple days I’ve been here.”
For the marathoners and racewalkers who compete outside the stadium, however, the heat could be a problem. Coe said in a press conference on Thursday that more medical staff and more water will be at this marathon than any prior marathon.
The marathon will start at 11:59 p.m. in Doha in order to limit the potential heat-related incidences, and athletes have been devising strategies for racing in the heat.
“I was actually pleased with having spoken to so many delegations that are here and their distance and endurance runners, particularly those who are now preparing for the race walk and the marathon, are actually training pretty comfortably on the street,” Coe said. “I’ve spoken to some of those athletes as well.”
All of the American athletes present at Wednesday’s press conference are competing inside the stadium, and none of them reported changing their training habits to accommodate the high temperatures and humidity.
Coburn said that she would use traditional cooling methods. She also did not seem concerned about the air quality in Doha, which is estimated to be between 175-205 AQI on the opening day of competition, according to air-quality.com, a level ranked to be very unhealthy. Crouser also reported that the air quality had not been affecting him in the shot put ring.
Another outside challenge is the longer season. Muhammad said that having a strong mental focus and increased base training have helped her to last throughout the extended season, in which she has broken the world record.
“It’s challenging, but now that it’s near its end, looking back, it wasn’t so bad,” Muhammad said.
Perhaps the greatest unexpected advantage of the longer season, Crouser said, was the increased training and ability to end the season at a world championship.
“Usually it’s a build up to the major and then it’s a meat grinder afterwards. I got to go out and make enough money to make it through the year, but you kind of lose that passion or the high intensity afterwards and just kind of hang on,” Crouser said.
“For me, writing my own training and my own plan and my own programs, it has been a fun challenge. And I am actually really happy with where I am at, because I have been able to get a lot of training and mentally be in a really good place, knowing I am training for the biggest meet of the year.”
