Alyson Stalter, 17, of Devola, a member of the Marietta High School cross county team, knows the risks of running in the heat first-hand.
"It was last year at our first meet and it was very hot," Stalter said. "I did not drink enough water or stay in the shade enough and got really dehydrated."
About half way through a three-mile race, she collapsed to the ground.
"I got tunnel vision and everything suddenly went black for me," Stalter said. "Somebody with a four-wheeler brought me back and they iced my legs and arms. I was crying that I didn't finish the race."
In the summer, when the risk of heat stress is great, practice and competition for student athletes in everything from football and cross country, to soccer, cheerleading and tennis, can be dangerous to an athlete's health.
Steamy temperatures that reached 90 degrees at 5 p.m. Thursday prompted extra precautions from Marietta Cross Country coach, Dale Leeper, on behalf of his 60 runners at the Broughton Nature Preserve practice course.
"The risk is there every day," Leeper said. "From a runner's standpoint, the most important thing is acclimatization."
That means runners must become adjusted to extreme heat.
Leeper and his staff stress hydration (lots of water), good nutrition, running in the coolest times of the day (early morning or evening), wearing light-colored clothing, a hat, and sunglasses.
"It's amazing, most people don't realize it, but sunglasses tell your brain the temperature is 10 degrees cooler," Leeper said. "We also train in summer by running through the woods, which literally lowers the temperature 10 degrees for them."
On Saturday, 450 cross country runners from 15 Ohio and West Virginia schools will converge on the trails at Broughton Nature Preserve for the fifth annual Elizabeth S. Broughton Cross Country Invitational.
Weather forecasts call for still another day of 90-degree possible temperatures for the meet.
"We are preparing for heat," Leeper said.
Ice, water, wet towels, trainers, and a rescue squad standing by - just in case - Leeper said. Two important signs he and other coaches watch for are no perspiration on the runner and loss of peripheral vision.
"Our kids watch out for each other too," he said.
Leeper also knows about heat exhaustion, first-hand.
The coach has 100,000 miles of running under his feet, but one incident always comes to mind.
"I was careless and wasn't paying attention," he said. "It was a 15-mile run, not that unusual for me, but I didn't realize how hot it was and that I was dehydrating. I could see the 'curtains' closing in."
Losing peripheral vision is a major cause for alarm, he said.
"I don't like to run in the heat," Alyson Stalter said. "It's a lot easier when it's cool. Sunday (last) my sister and another teammate went out for a nine-mile run. We didn't start until 3 p.m. That wasn't a good idea. It wasn't a good run."
Educating runners about risks of heat is a big part of the coach's prevention program, Leeper said.
Scott and Bonnie Stalter, Alyson's parents, are meet directors Saturday.
"We do worry about heat. That's a parent's job," Scott Stalter said. "Hydration is most important. We also encourage the girls to run early, when it's cooler."
In addition to Alyson, Stalter's daughters Heather, 20, and Sarah, 15, are runners.
Ryan Offenberger, a 205-pound junior at Marietta, is an offensive lineman and linebacker for the varsity football team.
Thursday afternoon practice for the Marietta High School football team was hot, but players are used to heat and coaches are careful to provide a safe field.
"It was pretty warm today," Offenberger said. "We weren't in full gear because of our game tomorrow, so it wasn't so bad."
Players get a brief break from practice every 15 minutes and get water breaks five or six times.
"The heat doesn't bother me too much, especially when I am looking to lose weight," said Offenberger, who has played football seven years.
Runners and football and soccer players are also at risk from heat-related health issues. Cheerleaders, who practice through hot summer months, are not immune.
Like any other sport, cheerleading has its heat challenges.
"It was hot today and probably I wasn't drinking enough water," said Joelle Loeber, a junior varsity cheerleader at Marietta High School Thursday. "I got sick, physically sick, and had to sit out awhile. It was bad today."
Loeber is no novice. She has been in cheerleading since she was a third-grader.
"I encourage her to always carry a water bottle and take frequent breaks to cool off," said Tawnie Love, Loeber's mother. "Today (Thursday) my car was reading 95 degrees when I picked her up from practice. It was hot."
Her stepdaughter, Caitlin Love, 17, a member of Marietta crew, actually became so overheated at one crew event that she passed out, Love said. "She wasn't drinking enough water."
