ATHENS, Greece — By definition of the calendar, the Summer Games are hot. But the sizzling temperatures of Athens are more than uncomfortable for athletes and spectators.
The mercury flirted with the 100-degree mark on Sunday and some athletes have complained that the highs —- varying with the location of venues but generally in the mid- to upper 90s — are affecting performances.
In the women's marathon Sunday, reigning world champion Paula Radcliffe of Britain struggled well past the halfway point until she collapsed in tears on an Athens street about four miles from the finish.
Racing the 26.2 miles course with the thermometer about 95, the pace was slow. Winner Mizuki Noguchi of Japan finished in 2:26:20, about 11 minutes off Radcliffe's world record and 3 minutes off the Olympic record set by another Japanese runner four years ago in the Sydney Games.
"I was well prepared for the race in Athens. I knew that there would be difficult conditions, like the heat, the sun and a great deal of fatigue." Noguchi said.
She said that Radcliffe "couldn't stand the difficult conditions and she had to stop."
Beach volleyball players, who know heat, say afternoon matches are particularly uncomfortable.
"The heat made a big difference today," said American Stein Metzger, explaining why he and partner Daxton Holdren lost to a Swiss pair on Sunday. "We are a team that thrives on energy, pumping each other up, making a lot of noise. But it was hard to get a word out. It was so hot out there that I felt really fatigued."
Even the Greeks, accustomed to baking Augusts, are grousing.
"This isn't summer," said Steperio Tsompandisis, a Greek policeman manning a security checkpoint near the Olympic stadium. "It's an oven."
Like so much of the Mediterranean, Greece is a siesta kind of place — in Greek it is called "mesimeriano ipnako," literally "an afternoon snooze."
When it is not hosting an Olympics, Greece is the kind of sane country that normally shuts down between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m. to avoid the brutal sun.
Olympics organizers made provisions for the heat. Track and field events are being held in the morning and at night, not in the afternoon.
U.S. athletes came to the Greek island of Crete weeks before the Games began to train and acclimate.
The women's marathon on Sunday began at 6 p.m. local time, as will the men's race next Sunday, in an attempt to avoid the worst of the heat.
Many equestrian events have been scheduled for the evening for the same reason. Riders completing their qualifying rounds on Sunday complained about the temperatures and the potentially harmful effects on their horses.
"I believe that the heat will be a parameter and that it is something we have to give great consideration," said Eugenie Angot, a French rider. "Sometimes, I felt I had to cover my eyes with my hand because the sun was burning me."
Sprinters and distance runners have complained well into the night that the retained heat on the track was hindering better race times.
For athletes and spectators, the order of the day is hydration. And some teams are using new high-tech "cool vests" filled with gel to keep core body temperatures down during training and warms-ups.
At the Olympic village, which houses 16,000 athletes and officials, organizers have supplied 2 million liters of bottled water and 3 million soft drinks.
Games' sponsor Coca-Cola is using the opportunity to introduce its sports drink Powerade — a rival of Gatorade — to the athletes and the Greek public. Company spokeswoman Rand Elliott said the high temperatures have made it a popular choice at the athletes' village, prompting Coca-Cola to send additional shipments.
In all, thirsty athletes, spectators and officials will consume an estimated 20 million bottles of water, sports drink and soft drinks by the time the Olympic flame is extinguished at the closing ceremonies next Sunday.
The highest temperatures have hit Athens on the weekends — on the first day of competition Saturday, Aug. 14 and this past Saturday and Sunday.
The heat on that first Saturday wiped out roughly half the field in the nearly six-hour men's cycling road race. The official high for the day was 99 degrees, but the afternoon heat on the asphalt reached the 105-107 range, organizers said.
American Levi Leipheimer, the highest American finisher in the Tour de France behind Lance Armstrong (who skipped the Athens Games) quit the Olympics road race near the finish. The heat had finished him.
"It was the hottest race I've done all year," he said. "I found it hard to breathe a little bit. It was scorching," he said.