By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
A few weeks ago, I participated in a local half marathon. I didn’t feel in the shape I would have wanted, so I decided to join one of the pacers. I found the sign with my desired time (2:15) and introduced myself to a lovely lady named Veronica. And off we went running.
Around mile 5 or so, one of the runners in the group asked something that blew my mind: “When are you taking the walk breaks? Or are you running straight?” I couldn’t believe it! The time to figure that out is not on mile 5 of a race. And thus, this blogpost was born.
Most halves and marathons have pacing teams. Take advantage of their presence and let them help you achieve your goal.
Pacers have become a ubiquitous part of races. Eliud Kipchoge and his fellow elites use them to set them up for world record pushes. Elite women pushing their limits use male pacers that lead them while doing part of the groundwork. Even Roger Bannister used pacers in 1954 when he became the first human to go sub-4 in the mile.
Regardless of your point of view on pacers, they are here to stay. So, take advantage of them if you can. But running with a pacer requires certain understanding and ground rules. Here are some that I’ve come with:
1 – Let the pacer do the work for you: The pacer is there to set the pace, hence the name. If you are planning to run a sub-2 half, don’t run ahead and spend energy worrying if the pacer is catching up to you. It takes more energy to lead than to follow, so take advantage of the pacer and follow. Run with the pacing group and when you are ready, leave them behind and accomplish and your goal
2 – Know your pacer’s plan, ahead of time: Pacers are easy to spot with their signs and/or balloons. In major city races they usually have a booth at the expo so you can meet them and discuss if their strategy suits yours. Some marathons have multiple pacers with different strategies for the same time. At smaller races, they can easily be identified by their signs. Don’t wait until the National Anthem or the starting gun to figure out if the plan fits yours or not. Or mile 5.
3 – Pacers are humans: If you join a pacer, you must understand that regardless of their qualifications to be there, they are human beings. If you join in the 3:30 pacer in a marathon, you can’t expect to be his/her sole responsibility to get you to 3:30 on the dot. They may get dehydrated, need to go to the bathroom, had a bad night or whatever issues that may affect them just as it could happen to you. So, understand they are an aid, not a guarantee.
4 – Be prepared to drop your pacer if needed: Pacers are runners that compete way faster than what they are pacing. This ensures that in normal circumstances they won’t burn out. If you are running with a 4:30 pacer on a marathon, that runner should easily go sub-4. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure you are on your pace and be ready to drop the pacer off if they are going too fast or too slow. Do not let them burn you out, and I learned that one the hard way.
Find the sign that works for you and let its carrier do work for you.
5 – Don’t tell the pacer what to do: Pacers have a race plan that you should have discussed before you joined the group. If you feel they are going too fast, bring it up. If you feel they are going too slow, ask why, so you can decide what to do. This is different from demanding they pick up their pace or telling them how to perform their duty. They are there providing a frees service, which you are free not to use.
6 – Make new running friends: There’s usually a nice crowd around the pacers. Runners from all over the place that have similar goals as you. Take the opportunity to meet new friends and make the run more pleasant. If you prefer to keep to yourself, it is your prerogative, just know what to expect and accept you will be part of a social group during the race. It may be the price to pay for being paced.
7 – Thank your pacer: Even if you finish ahead or behind the pacer, if he/she provided a service, you benefited from it and it was free, a thank you is always the right thing to do. You can do so once you decide to go ahead of them or if you see them after the race.
Any other tips on racing with a pacer? Let me know in the comment box, below.
Thank you Adolfo. I find pacers to be extremely helpful in keeping me on track & helping me achieve my goals.
They are here to stay, so you might as well take advantage of their presence. I am glad you’ve benefitted from their presence.
Delightful article!
Thank you, I loved it.
Good reminders for the experienced runners and great tips for the new ones like me.
Thank you. As you race more and you start venturing on bigger distances, you will be able to take advantage of the pacers to help you achieve your goals.
At the time I was active and running PR@ 3.35 marathons (1980-1999) pacers were extremely rare. I confess I never even thought of the rules you explain but they are certainly very reasonable.Unfortunately at 84 they are of little help to me unless pacers of @ 15/mile may be found.
Those who volunteer as pacers should be thanked (including you Adolfo as I believe you will be pacing for the 12 miles of Christmas). It is not an easy job and they provide a great service. I used pacers my first few (faster) years of running to keep me reigned in as I would go out too fast.
Mr Salgueiro, there are races that have 15 & 16 minutes/mile pacers, but the ones I know of are marathons and half marathons if you are looking to return to longer races 😉
Thank you, Rita. I do have that experience pacing and it is quite a responsibility when runners are depending on you to keep them in pace. It is very rewarding, especially when you deliver.
In everyday life expressing gratitude is very much important. Whether its marathon or any usual circumstance.
Running and participation of physical events have brought me closer to some finest sports enthusiasts. This is most important on my part
Thank you, Arijit, for your comment. I agree with your comment. I believe runners are usually thankful people, as the understand this is a privilege that may go away at any time because of an injury. The ungrateful ones are the exceptions.
Nice article, Adolfo. Two points:
First, it’s risky to join a pace group midway through the race if you want to get that time goal, because they may have started long after you!
Second, to amplify your first point slightly, it’s can be MUCH easier to let the pacer as well as other runners in the group lead especially if you are going into a headwind! But try to do your share of breaking the wind for others, too, if you are able! Work as a team!
Thank you for your additions, Jim. The first point is very valid as some runners tend not to understand how the chip-time works. So is your 2nd point. It needs to be a team effort so everyone reaches the goal. If you are using a pacer, most likely you are not going to be the winner.
As always a very interesting topic and for me, the use of the pacer on that race was particularly a helpful experience.
Thank you Luis for your comment. I appreciate you reading my post and letting me know you found some value in it.
Great article. The only time I used a pacer was at the Valencia Half Marathon in Venezuela, it was less than a month after I ran a full so my running partner and I decided to take it easy join the 2:10 pacer. He was great, chatting while we ran I discovered that he was married to friend from college, but he told us that he had a motorcycle accident while driving to the start line. At mile 8 he couldn’t continue so he asked my friend and me to get torch and carry the group to the finish line. Our time was 2:07
That is an interesting story. Thank you very much for sharing it.
Excellent article !
Great advices . Using pacers has been great way for me to get to PRs for the half and full marathon.
Thanks !
Thank you David for always reading my blog. I appreciate that you let me know it provides you value.