Tokyo Olympics 2020, in 2021. The Men's and Women's Marathons.

Based in Bergen County, New Jersey, Jennifer Heiner serves as a retail director at a New Jersey running company, and is an avid runner who has competed in six marathons. Jennifer Heiner volunteers with the New York Road Runners, and has helped organized numerous group training runs focused on preparing runners for the New York City Marathon. The New York City Marathon began 50 years ago, and is the world’s largest marathon. The race is also the main event of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) organization, a premier community running entity. Held each year in November, the event draws more than 50,000 professional and amateur runners from more than 125 countries. The 26.2-mile running route passes through five of New York’s neighborhoods, including Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Over 10,000 volunteers and a million spectators watch the marathon's runners compete from New York’s streets, while millions more watch the event on television. The New York City Marathon is a part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a group of major marathons that take place in New York, Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, and Chicago.

Right now, however, all of the focus is on the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympics.  One of the highlights of the running events is the Olympic Marathon, which will take place over the last two days of competition, August 7th for the women and August 8th for the men. And while most of the Olympic competition is occurring in Tokyo itself, the marathon races will be staged in Sapporo, which is located 500 miles north of the host city. This is in part due to the high temperatures Tokyo is experiencing - such heat would be too much for the athletes to endure for over two hours during competition. 

Some of the favorites to watch are: 

• Eliud Kipchoge who holds the men’s world record for the marathon, will be looking to defend his Olympic title in Tokyo. 

• Brigid Kosgei 

• Ruth Chepngetich who holds the world record in the Half Marathon

• Molly Seidel

• Abdi Abdirahman, at 44 will be the oldest competitor and participating in his 5th Olympics

The U.S. team, consisting of Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, Sally Kipyego, Galen Rupp, Jake Riley, and Abdi Abdirahman are expected to make a strong showing, and all of the runners have been waiting since February 2020 at the Olympic Trials to get the chance to race. A lot will happen in the Olympics before the Marathon starts, and it will be a fun few weeks of competition. 

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Pet Safety During the Summer

 As a retail director of a New Jersey running company, Jennifer Heiner works closely with the company’s founders to operate four brick and mortar retail stores. Outside of her work, Jennifer Heiner enjoys spending time with her pet, an English bulldog.

Widely known for its gentle disposition, the English bulldog is excellent with children. Owners of English bulldogs also appreciate that they require only moderate exercise and socialization and rarely bark or dig. The primary drawbacks of the breed include high tendencies to drool and snore. English bulldogs can also rapidly overheat and experience breathing problems in warmer climates.

Now that the summer months are almost upon us, its important to make sure that all of our pets, not just English Bulldogs and similar breeds that overheat easily, are safe in the summer heat. 

As you can see in the image above, bulldogs are what are known as "brachycephalic" breeds, which are extremely prone to overheating due to their shortened nasal cavity. The question then becomes, what are some of the signs of overheating in dogs, especially Bulldogs? 

The most common symptoms are the excessive panting, vomiting, GI upset, dark red gums due to lack of proper oxygen, and rapid heartbeat. Dogs can even start to have tremors and develop seizures and fainting spells. 

What are the best ways to avoid these problems? SIMPLE! Keep your dogs inside during the summer. While we are all tempted to have our dogs with us out by the pool (remember, most bulldogs CAN'T SWIM) or joining us in other summer family fun, they unfortunately do not have the ability to sweat and cool down like we do. Therefore, its best to limit their walks to early in the morning or late at night when the sun is not as strong, and the pavement and sidewalks are cooler. Keep fresh water available for them at all times. Invest in cooling blankets and cooling mats to keep them comfortable if they do join you outside. And if your pet starts to develop any of the warning signs, please take them to the vet immediately! Their life depends on it!