Australia's New South Whales in heat alert with 42,000 runners to attend Sydney Marathon

SYDNEY - An early season heat alert has been issued in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) for the weekend and early next week, with around 42,000 runners expected to hit the streets on Sunday for the 2023 Sydney Marathon, reported Xinhua.

In a statement released on Friday, the NSW Ministry of Health (NSW Health) urged residents to minimise heat exposure, as maximum temperatures in many regions of the state were forecast to surpass 30 degrees Celsius.

"Hot weather conditions will see temperatures up to 10 degrees Celsius above usual for this time of year in parts of the state, and NSW Health encourages people to take care of themselves and those who may be more vulnerable this weekend," warned Jeremy McAnulty, NSW Health's executive director of Health Protection.

He also advised that Sydney and other parts of NSW are also likely to experience poor air quality due to hazard reduction burns.

The Sydney Marathon would come back on Sunday with a total of 42,000 registered participants. Among the large crowd, 17,000 entrants were geared up for a 42-kilometer challenge.

According to the NSW government, after last year becoming the first marathon in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve Platinum Label status, the Sydney Marathon is now in its second year of a three-year candidacy period to become a World Major.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology estimated that the highest temperature in Sydney could reach 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with a chance of smoke haze lingering in the city. - BERNAMA