(Photo by Twist And Tell Photography, https://flic.kr/p/Homzuz Creative Commons CC BY 2.0)
Update on 16-Jan-2020 : Temperature is predicted to be much lower (almost by 2 degrees), and the humdity is much higher (about 10% more) than what has been mentioned in this post.
Hope you have read our TMM 2020 Route preview already.
We have done the research for you, to help you prepare for the worst. And the good news is, weather is typical of Mumbai’s weather this Sunday, with very little surprise.
Sun Rise is 7:15am, just when most marathoners would have crossed Sea Link. The sky is expected to be clear. Based on various met predictions (Accuweather, DarkSky and the Weather Channel) temperature would be 200C when marathon and half marathon starts. So expect a pleasant day. If you have run the last year’s edition, you will definitely thank the weather gods. Temperature expected to be 3 to 5 degrees lower this year compared to last.
Source: [Darksky] (https://darksky.net/details/19.1011,72.8754/2020-1-19/ca12/en)
Temperature expected to reach 220C by 9 am, 230C by 10am and sharply rising thereafter to 260C by 11am. Half marathoners will have the temperature part under control. Slower marathoners, be prepared for higher temperatures and hydrate well as you come back on to marine drive. You can avail the cold water sprinklers and sponges generously.
Real concern for runners coming to Mumbai from other locations is Humidity. Humidity is expected to be around low 60s (all sources agree) for the first few hours of the race till about 9am. It is expected to come down there after to low 40s, which is good to hear. When compared to last year, humidity levels are almost the same.
There is no rain predicated, so don’t worry about what shoes to wear. Pick your favourite shoe you trained with.
Much of the course along the sea and with very little on wind’s way, wind is an important factor across the course, especially Marine Drive and Sea Link. Wind is expected to be (as per ECMWF) around 5-9 knots (about 10-18kmph) and wind gusts can peak at 25 kmph and from the north direction. Here is a quick visualization to help you understand the wind direction along the course.
So expect head winds on the onward route, especially at Sea link. Try running with a group and draft behind as much as possible, but be considerate. Of course, the tail wind will help you on your return.
Mumbai is at sea level. With an altitude of 5-10m above sea level you wouldn’t have to think about it. In fact runners coming from cities like bangalore, where the altitude is above 900m, can have reasonable gains in pace (2-3 seconds a kilometer).
Prepared by Team GeeksOnFeet for the love of running!
Plesae also read our related posts on TMM Route, Weather forecast by clicking here.