Last july before the trials, there was a lot of conflicting info going on
about the weather in Sacto. I just moved here a few months ago, and thus
cannot speak from personal experience. In talking with a variety of
different people (mostly runners), I also get a lot of conflicting
information but also two general agreements:
1. It is NEVER too hot to run at 7:00AM - normally it is about 60 degrees,
and at worst it is 75-78. Obviously this is not relevent to the trials
except for the walks.
2. From June-September, there are a few periods where the highs get over 100
for 3-5 days. Other than that, the highs are in the 90's and dry, the way
they were for much of this year's trials.
Looking at the official temperatures, the average high for July is 93
degrees. Which means that along with the 100+ degree days, there must be an
equal number of days in the mid 80's. My experience running when it was 93
degrees in sacto last summer during the trials was that it would have been
fine for any distance under 5K, and probably ideal for the sprints. And I
can say definitively, that I would rather run in 93 degrees in Sacramento
than 80 degrees anywhere on the east coast, due to the humidity.
The average low in July is 59 degrees. My understanding is that the low
typically occurs right before sunrise, and it takes 4-6 hours before things
really start to heat up.
So weather-wise, taking into account all the events, and the ability to run
distance events late, there are not a lot of places better than Sacramento.
There's just as much chance of it being too cold to be ideal for sprinting
in Eugene, for example, as there is for it to bee too hot for distance in
Sacto.
I would agree that from a fan's standpoint, Sacramento weather is not ideal
without some sort of shade in the stands
- Ed Parrot
