Heat in New York Takes Its Toll; Two Runners in Stable Condition

An unseasonably warm fall day created a serious medical problem at Sunday’s New York City Marathon, sending two runners to a hospital with body temperatures of more than 108 degrees.

Temperatures were in the mid-60s at the start of the race and soared to 72 degrees two hours later, conditions that can be deadly for running 26.2 miles. Temperatures in the low 50s are considered best for the marathon.

A race official said that at least 55 runners were taken to area hospitals.

According to Gus Pappas, chief of the New York City emergency medical service, the two runners with body temperatures of more than degrees were flown by helicopter to Bellvue Hospital. They were identified as Peter Zielinski, 26, of Derby, Conn., and Chris Muessel, 35, of Washington, D.C. They were upgraded from critical to stable condition Sunday night.

Heat often affects poorly trained runners more seriously. But on Sunday even well-trained elite runners were affected. Kim Jones, a 1992 Olympian, suffered a severe asthma attack at 17 miles and dropped out. “I thought I was going to die,” Jones said from New York Hospital, where she was later released. “It was pretty bad.”

Anne Marie Letko, a world-class middle distance runner in her first marathon, was treated at Lennox Hill Hospital for hypothermia, or low body temperature.