Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route

The Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, held annually, is one of the most popular international marathon events. Its primarily urban environmental setting characterized by high-density urban areas, semienclosed tunnels, and suspension bridges, together with the herds of runners, has an influence...

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Main Authors: Paulina Wong, Poh-Chin Lai, Melissa Hart
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/287934
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author Paulina Wong
Poh-Chin Lai
Melissa Hart
author_facet Paulina Wong
Poh-Chin Lai
Melissa Hart
author_sort Paulina Wong
collection DOAJ
description The Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, held annually, is one of the most popular international marathon events. Its primarily urban environmental setting characterized by high-density urban areas, semienclosed tunnels, and suspension bridges, together with the herds of runners, has an influence on the microclimate along the marathon course. This study focused on assessing and comparing variations in temperature and vapour pressure (vis-à-vis relative humidity) against the crowd of runners, or the herd effects, in two different environmental settings along the marathon course: semienclosed (a tunnel) versus open space (a suspension bridge). A series of small iButtons were deployed at strategic locations along the course to undertake minute-by-minute measurements of temperature and relative humidity. It was found that herd effects of varying degrees were present in both semienclosed and open settings. Various environmental differences also played a role in ameliorating or amplifying the climatological effects of the herd of runners. Our study suggests that microclimate variations in different environmental settings and crowd conditions could have an impact on runners. This new knowledge can inform the design of marathon routes. It also establishes the feasibility of employing the iButton logging sensors for widespread deployment and monitoring of meteorological situations.
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spelling doaj-art-89c6a0efe3fd43caaf69ac004694cfeb2025-08-20T02:09:18ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172013-01-01201310.1155/2013/287934287934Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon RoutePaulina Wong0Poh-Chin Lai1Melissa Hart2Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong KongDepartment of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong KongDepartment of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong KongThe Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, held annually, is one of the most popular international marathon events. Its primarily urban environmental setting characterized by high-density urban areas, semienclosed tunnels, and suspension bridges, together with the herds of runners, has an influence on the microclimate along the marathon course. This study focused on assessing and comparing variations in temperature and vapour pressure (vis-à-vis relative humidity) against the crowd of runners, or the herd effects, in two different environmental settings along the marathon course: semienclosed (a tunnel) versus open space (a suspension bridge). A series of small iButtons were deployed at strategic locations along the course to undertake minute-by-minute measurements of temperature and relative humidity. It was found that herd effects of varying degrees were present in both semienclosed and open settings. Various environmental differences also played a role in ameliorating or amplifying the climatological effects of the herd of runners. Our study suggests that microclimate variations in different environmental settings and crowd conditions could have an impact on runners. This new knowledge can inform the design of marathon routes. It also establishes the feasibility of employing the iButton logging sensors for widespread deployment and monitoring of meteorological situations.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/287934
spellingShingle Paulina Wong
Poh-Chin Lai
Melissa Hart
Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
Advances in Meteorology
title Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
title_full Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
title_fullStr Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
title_full_unstemmed Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
title_short Microclimate Variations between Semienclosed and Open Sections of a Marathon Route
title_sort microclimate variations between semienclosed and open sections of a marathon route
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/287934
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