BEIJING (AFP) - Heat and humidity will be the main enemies during the Beijing Olympic marathon rather than the city's notorious pollution, reigning Olympic champion Stefano Baldini said here Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on a day of thick haze and reduced visibility, Baldini said bad air quality was no deterrent to marathon runners in peak condition racing for the title during the August 8-24 Games.
"Pollution is a problem only for the guys with breathing problems. For me it is not a problem. The real problem is heat and humidity," Baldini said.
"Pollution does affect the result but I believe that heat and humidity do so far more."
Summer temperatures in Beijing routinely surge past 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity stands at close to 80 percent.
Baldini and his coach Luciano Gigliotti are in Beijing this week to plot his defence of the 2004 Olympic crown, scouting out the Beijing Olympic marathon course and Olympic training facilities.
Earlier this year, world marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie, an asthma sufferer, said he would not run the Beijing marathon out of fear for his health.
"I have no intention of committing suicide in Beijing," the Ethiopian told the Spanish newspaper El Pais last month.
Baldini admitted he had never seen such air pollution prior to his Beijing visit and had never previously run in such an environment.
Gigliotti said he felt a "diseased" sensation in his throat, which he attributed to the bad air.
But both said that for athletes without breathing problems, a one-off race should cause no problems even in such polluted conditions.
The effects of heat and humidity could be dramatic, however, Baldini said, recalling the image of another Italian marathon great, Dorando Pietri.
Pietri struggled to finish the London Olympic marathon in 1908, a victim of unusual summer heat and humidity in the British capital.
Pietri finished first but was disqualified because he was helped to his feet by umpires after falling several times during the final lap in a packed main Olympic Stadium.
"So I guess this is the main concern," said Baldini. "We are going to see a lot of people burning out."
The Italian champion said clever athletes with experience could exploit the adverse conditions in Beijing and triumph over faster, better runners.
He said that at least two dozen athletes currently running under 2 hours 8 minutes were considered contenders in the Beijing marathon to be held on August 24, the final day of the Games.
His favourite is Kenyan Martin Lel, who won his third London Marathon title in four years last week in a new course record time of 2 hours 5 minutes 15 seconds.
But Baldini, 36, with a string of championship victories to his name, said raw speed will not be enough in Beijing and that his own experience could prove invaluable.
"The Olympic marathon is a completely different marathon to any other," he said.
Pacemakers who set the tempo for most of the race during the New York, Boston and London marathons eliminate the need for tactical smarts, he said.
But at the Beijing Olympics, tactics and experience will be paramount, especially in dealing with heat and humidity, he said.
"We can't compare a classic marathon where there are pacemakers who do the rhythm, do the speed, from the beginning, to an Olympic marathon where intelligence counts as much as the speed," Baldini said.
