The recent heat wave and subsequent declaration of drought conditions by the Environment Agency across huge swathes of England has again reminded us of the importance of hydration during such extreme weather conditions.

We covered this issue in this story on 15 July during the first extreme heat wave of the summer and would recommend our readers refresh their knowledge while replenishing their own body radiators with something cool and suitably refreshing (preferably not alcoholic).

High temperatures and humidity can be a dangerous combination for runners, particularly when the heat of competition is added to the equation, as we described in this story about the unfortunate Manitoba Marathon in June. 

Closer to home, we heard that four runners collapsed and were taken to hospital at the Richmond Park Half Marathon on Sunday (14 August) as temperatures rose above 30C. The incidents were swiftly dealt with by the London Ambulance Service, supported by the Royal Parks Police who later tweeted: "Please be careful out there folks, and stay hydrated".

Organisers RunThrough posted an update on Facebook to reassure runners their fellow competitors were: "All OK and in safe hands", after praising the medics for their rapid response. The Richmond event had sold out with 350 competitors and started at 9:30am from Sheen Gate, Richmond Park. 

Ironically, with hosepipe bans in several Southern areas, the latest hot spell is about to give way to stormy weather with an amber 'danger to life' warning issued for parts of south-west England and a less severe yellow warning for the rest of Britain for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and potential flooding – this is the British summer after all!

While we are on the subject of good hydration, our good friends at Windsor Women's 10K and Windsor Half Marathon have recently shared two excellent articles by Nicola Joyce on the topic. You can enjoy reading How To Hydrate For Summer Running here and Nine Tips For Running In Hot Weather here. 

As the Royal Parks Police said – be careful and stay hydrated.

Sunset Runner photo by Nathalie Desiree Mottet on Unsplash