Race Etiquette

iplayoutside19

I'm slow, and pretty much know my place. I really had not had a complaint about race organization until a popular 5K on Thanksgiving morning last year. (1500 people on a 3 miles course. This race will keep growing. They're going to have to move to waves or something sooner or later. That or cap participation) Some dude was letting his kid ride his bicycle next to him as he ran. (Why this was allowed blows my mind) The only problem is, kid would ride ahead, and then come back against traffic to find his father. Dad was faster than I was. I almost took out Jr Lance once, and I came around a corner to see that Jr Lance had in fact taken out another runner. I complained to the race director. Never seen anything like that before, or since.

Doodlewhopper

They used to announce at the beginning of mass participation races that if you need to slow down or walk you should move to the left. That was really helpful. Don't know why they dropped that.

I am the race director for a local race and its still part of my spiel. Not that everyone listens. Lol.

Headphones - if you wear 'em make sure you can still hear what's going on around you, like other runners who may be trying to overtake you and, especially, course Marshall's. we had two go off course last race, both were wearing headphones and did not hear the course Marshall thing to stop/redirect them.

Simply karma at its very best. LOL

Bry_Fitness70

But I LOVE seeing ALL kinds of runners/walkers at races b/c they are getting out there and TRYING! And who knows where their first race will lead them to next!?! EVERYONE was once a beginner at everything! Let's give others grace and welcome them to the sport - wherever they are in their training!

That said, if you are very serious about your time - stick to races that are well-managed, well-designed races with many race directors or a race board of directors (a race that has many years of experience in the city).... those have corrals and many volunteers in the corrals policing people and checking bibs. Those are the more expensive races for a reason -- all the support they have there is worth it.
I really don't expect a PR for a popular "fun" 5K like St. Patrick's Day/parade race... a race like that will draw many new runners/walkers.

I agree - I also love seeing people commit to exercising. The level of training or ability is irrelevant – if you want to run 20 minute miles, that is fine, just don’t line up at the front!!

Like any newbie, you have to have respect for the event and the participants, and observe a minimal level of etiquette. If the few disrupt the enjoyment of the vast majority who play by the rules (who all paid a decent amount of money to participate), that is unacceptable.

dbmata

I'm just going to go out on a limb here, but I think a breach of etiquette that can be dangerous to me may result in the person causing the breach being harmed.

Now, I'm a big guy, lots of mass to slow or stop, so if you cut in front of me (like that chump did at bloomsday) you're going to have a rough experience. The tri I just ran was transformative of how I view contact during a race. That swim in particular, if you are asking for contact, you'll get it. Don't be T_T when you do.

/done

StarChanger

While I appreciate the people giving the Noobies a "pass" and saying they just don't have the "experience" to know the ettiquette yet, I respectfully, totally, disagree.

I am a Noobie. I've run exactly two 5K races in my life...and mostly I walked. I knew to start at the back without anyone telling me. It's common sense. It's polite. It shows you have SOME understanding of what the hell is going on.

Giving people a pass, when it's really no different than walking on a sidewalk, escalator, or even driving on the road (don't get me started on people's complete lack of understanding what the FAST LANE is for) is exactly why this type of behavior continues.

Ask them to move. You can be polite about it...but by saying nothing to them, you're just reinforcing bad behavior. Granted, some people are just *kitten* and won't move anyway (back to the fast lane again...) but if we can just change a few...........

smiffy645

I'm just going to go out on a limb here, but I think a breach of etiquette that can be dangerous to me may result in the person causing the breach being harmed.

Now, I'm a big guy, lots of mass to slow or stop, so if you cut in front of me (like that chump did at bloomsday) you're going to have a rough experience. The tri I just ran was transformative of how I view contact during a race. That swim in particular, if you are asking for contact, you'll get it. Don't be T_T when you do.

/done

Two wrongs don't really make a right do they? Contact in close racing is inevitable, to intentionally harm someone is ridulous.

dbmata

I'm just going to go out on a limb here, but I think a breach of etiquette that can be dangerous to me may result in the person causing the breach being harmed.

Now, I'm a big guy, lots of mass to slow or stop, so if you cut in front of me (like that chump did at bloomsday) you're going to have a rough experience. The tri I just ran was transformative of how I view contact during a race. That swim in particular, if you are asking for contact, you'll get it. Don't be T_T when you do.

/done

Two wrongs don't really make a right do they? Contact in close racing is inevitable, to intentionally harm someone is ridulous.

Which is more wrong, risking injury to ensure someone else can act out like a child, or continuing through adversity, hoping they are ok?

I'll choose the latter. We all have consequences to our actions, I know if I were to do that and get someone running into me, it would be my fault.

Contact in close racing is inevitable, to intentionally run right in front of someone and stop is ridiculous.

alienrite

As a very new runner/racer, it was very confusing for the first couple races. In my last ones (chip timed), they corral you according to your self reported pace. Despite me exceeding my anticipated pace 2 out of 3 times, I am completely floored at how many people race forward of me beyond their ability to sustain a pace only to fall back a mile later. I've taken to way underestimating myself for future races which are chip-timed since my position in the start has nothing to do with my time. All part of learning new things though...I still think races are a blast and cannot believe I waited so long to start.

Isn't racing awesome!!?? Welcome to the magical world of racing! It's addictive and the best high! I regret not becoming a runner until this late in life! I wish I had learned this in my teens or 20s!

I waited 45 years for my first race and have tried to have at least one a month every since. It isn't always as easy as it sounds but I try. Somehow the most critical or random things come up just before or on race day. I did manage May, June, July and have a big race in August I think addicting is an understatement.

dbmata

I waited 45 years for my first race and have tried to have at least one a month every since. It isn't always as easy as it sounds but I try. Somehow the most critical or random things come up just before or on race day. I did manage May, June, July and have a big race in August I think addicting is an understatement.

Wow, that's excellent! One a month? Good for you. Luckily there are a lot, so it should be easy.

manhn1

Slower people at the starting line is *really* annoying and it means that I will pretty much forego any large 10K or less distances. I find that although there are still slower people at the starting line of a large half marathon, they are fewer in number and it doesn't impact my time as much because most of them I will pass within the first mile or so and I still have a lot more distance to cover. Besides, I should run slower at the start anyway.

The ones that really get me are runners who run side by side 3 person or more abreast, completely blocking the path and preventing anyone from passing them. Or couples who run together and show their support for each other by holding hands. What is this--Red Rover?