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The 119^th running of the iconic Boston Marathon is officially behind us and boy, was it one for the books. The rain-soaked stretch between Hopkinton and Boylston challenged even the most seasoned runners with near-hypothermic conditions as temps hovered in the low 40’s for most of the day. Moments of triumph still prevailed however, even if through chattering teeth.

Runner’s World spoke to one chilly participant. “Jay Pontrelli, 47, said one of the most difficult parts was the three-and-a-half hour wait in Hopkinton before the start. ‘We wasted a lot of energy trying to stay warm out there.’” This experience, shared by many across different media channels, highlights the real need for pre-race warming solutions beyond the thrift store hoodie.

Yesterday’s brutal weather conditions, all the more serious for long-distance runners with precious little body fat, made Heatsheets Finisher’s Capes the single most important part of a marathon that had an epic number of serious hypothermia cases.

“Being able to envelope those cold, wet finishers in a hood and wrap around cape was an incredible asset and we heard thousands of voices praising the product and expressing profound appreciation for […] shelter.” Said David Deigan, Founder & CTO of Heatsheets.

“In my 35 years supplying finish line shelter products, I’ve seen conditions like this only twice.” Deigan continued in a team debriefing of the day. “One woman I helped wandered through the Heatsheets area shaking violently. She told me that when she finished she was rushed into the medical tent where her temperature was just 92 degrees, over 6 degrees below normal. We really made a difference yesterday.”

Despite the weather, stories of inspiration poured in all day from touching moments to real instances of inspiration from survivors of previous tragedy.

And in closing, a major shout-out to Heatsheets’s own Melissa Cooney for not only finishing yesterday’s race despite the punishing weather, but breaking the 3 hour mark with a finish time of 2:58. Way to go, Melissa!

A photo posted by stonemelissa13 (@stonemelissa13) on Apr 20, 2015 at 1:39pm PDT