Pace groups
RunConquerCelebrate
Posts: 956 Member
Have any of you ran a race with a pacer? I have seen this before and was wondering how it works.
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Replies
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I did at my FM. They just hold up a sign that has the finish time and min/mi pace on it, and maybe a vest or something. Mine was slightly ahead of pace so that his group could do the aid stations if necessary and still finish on time. I actually ditched mine and he caught up and passed me at the end, and he was dead on balls accurate (d'oh).
The people doing it are usually pretty cool and are running for free, but they are human and things can happen to them, so don't 100% rely on them.0 -
I went out with a pace group for a half marathon I did early on in my running life. They went out way too fast on an abnormally hot day and the pace group fell apart. After than I never bothered and at this point feel a lot more confident in running my own race.0
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I did at my FM. They just hold up a sign that has the finish time and min/mi pace on it, and maybe a vest or something. Mine was slightly ahead of pace so that his group could do the aid stations if necessary and still finish on time. I actually ditched mine and he caught up and passed me at the end, and he was dead on balls accurate (d'oh).
The people doing it are usually pretty cool and are running for free, but they are human and things can happen to them, so don't 100% rely on them.
So do you just look for them? or do you know ahead of time who they are? for me I guess I have to figure out what time and pace I want to run my half and find a pacer for that time?0 -
I tried training with a pace group for two years to do the long runs on Saturdays. I hated not being able to run faster or slower when I wanted to and I especially hated having to talk to strangers next to me. I guess I have issues
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I am always rather amazed at how accurate their pace is. Not perfect, but pretty darn good usually, Cannot be easy with how crowded most races are.0
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I trained with a pace group for my HM and ran with the group during the actual race. We trained for a 2:15 pace, and finished in 2h12min. I found it pretty helpful and kept me from starting out too fast!0
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Not all pacers are created equal. They can be very helpful, but you need to show up ready ditch them if they go out too fast.
The Clif Pace Team is almost always dead on. For small races the running clubs put out requests for experience runners to lead the groups.
I just did my first pacing gig a couple weeks ago. Lead the 1:45 half marathon group to a 1:44:55 finish. I sent my runners ahead at mile 11, but I held pace so I could be of service to any runners who were chasing me down over the last few miles.
Hardest part for me was NOT dropping the hammer at mile 11 when I was feeling good. I just kept telling myself to stay steady.
Generally speaking they are great way to settle in and not get caught up in the excitement at the start.0 -
I did at my FM. They just hold up a sign that has the finish time and min/mi pace on it, and maybe a vest or something. Mine was slightly ahead of pace so that his group could do the aid stations if necessary and still finish on time. I actually ditched mine and he caught up and passed me at the end, and he was dead on balls accurate (d'oh).
The people doing it are usually pretty cool and are running for free, but they are human and things can happen to them, so don't 100% rely on them.
So do you just look for them? or do you know ahead of time who they are? for me I guess I have to figure out what time and pace I want to run my half and find a pacer for that time?
They had representatives at the expo and also pace sheets with split breakdowns so you could pick (you should know this well before the expo though). At the event, they were impossible to miss with the signs and vests/shirts. I worked an aid station for an all-female marathon, and the pacers were all dressed up like bunnies.0 -
The best of pace groups is you can join them and leave them as you see fit. No need to sign up, just find them at the start line and you're all set. Ditch them as you see fit.0
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I tried training with a pace group for two years to do the long runs on Saturdays. I hated not being able to run faster or slower when I wanted to and I especially hated having to talk to strangers next to me. I guess I have issues
LOL!! yeah if I have to talk to people I do not want to do it. I hate talking while running. I tried running with a friend but she would not stop talking went back to running on my own.0 -
I trained with a pace group for my HM and ran with the group during the actual race. We trained for a 2:15 pace, and finished in 2h12min. I found it pretty helpful and kept me from starting out too fast!
See I think that would be good for me to help me keep that pace and not start off too fast. wow that is good time.0 -
Not all pacers are created equal. They can be very helpful, but you need to show up ready ditch them if they go out too fast.
The Clif Pace Team is almost always dead on. For small races the running clubs put out requests for experience runners to lead the groups.
I just did my first pacing gig a couple weeks ago. Lead the 1:45 half marathon group to a 1:44:55 finish. I sent my runners ahead at mile 11, but I held pace so I could be of service to any runners who were chasing me down over the last few miles.
Hardest part for me was NOT dropping the hammer at mile 11 when I was feeling good. I just kept telling myself to stay steady.
Generally speaking they are great way to settle in and not get caught up in the excitement at the start.
wow that is pretty cool. Do you recommend I find a pace group for a Half Marathon?0 -
The best of pace groups is you can join them and leave them as you see fit. No need to sign up, just find them at the start line and you're all set. Ditch them as you see fit.
Cool Thanks0 -
I raced my first half mid september and follower the 2:10 bunny. They were wearing bunny ears and a sign with there expected time on it. Hard to miss!
The 1:30 bunny was ahead in the first corral and as you went farther down the line of runners the others bunnies were there… 1:30 1:35 1:40 1:45 1:50 1:55 etc etc…
The down side is there's always a crowd following them… So I kept a bit on the side or ahead of it but made sure that I could see it at all time. She kept telling us that we were ahead of our expected finish time and by how much (around 40 seconds ). She was pretty accurate! At 16km she told us to go ahead if we were feeling great… I finished at 2:06 and saw her cross the finish line around 2:09 !
I'll probably follow another one on my next big race 0 -
I wish! None of my halfs have had pacers. And for the record, I am the girl that would talk your ear off. Even to strangers. "Hey did you see those ducks? How about those spiderwebs? That guy over there is super fast," etc.0
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I trained with a pace group for my HM and ran with the group during the actual race. We trained for a 2:15 pace, and finished in 2h12min. I found it pretty helpful and kept me from starting out too fast!
See I think that would be good for me to help me keep that pace and not start off too fast. wow that is good time.
Thanks!! Good luck on your half :-)0 -
I wish! None of my halfs have had pacers. And for the record, I am the girl that would talk your ear off. Even to strangers. "Hey did you see those ducks? How about those spiderwebs? That guy over there is super fast," etc.
oh bummer I guess I should ask the Half Organizers to see if they are going to have pacers. LOL!!! yeah you and I could not run together0 -
2 of my long races had pacers from the local running store. I didn't necessarily run with them but I kept them in my sights. It helped me keep a nice easy pace early on when its easy to get ahead of yourself. My 3 long race didn't offer pacers and I really missed it. I found 2 random guys who were running splits at my desired time and stuck with them. My husband laughs to this day because he saw us around mile 9 and we were all buddy buddy. They gave him a hard time for not being out on the course with me.0
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I wish! None of my halfs have had pacers. And for the record, I am the girl that would talk your ear off. Even to strangers. "Hey did you see those ducks? How about those spiderwebs? That guy over there is super fast," etc.
Me too!0 -
2 of my long races had pacers from the local running store. I didn't necessarily run with them but I kept them in my sights. It helped me keep a nice easy pace early on when its easy to get ahead of yourself. My 3 long race didn't offer pacers and I really missed it. I found 2 random guys who were running splits at my desired time and stuck with them. My husband laughs to this day because he saw us around mile 9 and we were all buddy buddy. They gave him a hard time for not being out on the course with me.
I tend to do this too. I just gauge myself by them. However, if you don't know when they started, it's pretty much useless (For example, in a big race, you can start 20-30 minutes behind the gun). I sometimes ask them how long they have been running and they usually can tell you. That way I can compare it to my watch and I know how much ahead of them or behind them I am.0 -
If you are going to run with a pacer talk to the pacer before hand to understand how they are going to run the race. The last race I did there were 2 pacers, one would run a steady pace and skip water stops and the other would stop at all water stops but would be running to catch up between.
I like to keep them in sight but generally run between the pace groups. I have a "Want to catch" group and a "Don't want to be passed by" group. 0 -
I have tried running with a pace group twice. One was my 3rd half this last spring..My sister and I started with the 2:05 group, there were two pacers, the chick took off to the bathroom twice before the first water stop and the guy stopped early at the first water stop and we lost them so we went ahead without them and finished in 2:03. The second time I tried to follow a pacer was for my first full two weeks ago..I was lined up with the 4:10 group, but I fell back quickly after the first mile as I felt he was going to fast. Found out afterwards my first mile was about a nine minute mile, about 30-60 seconds too fast! and taht was after falling back from him. He started the group off way to fast.
But I have two friends that paced a half a month ago and both got their groups in at about perfect paces.
It is really hard to know how good of a pacer they are going to be. But I keep trying to hang with them, the concept is great. i would say find the pace group you think you fit it with and start out with them, but be prepared to either fall back, or if you are feeling great around mile 11 to surge ahead, don't feel at any point you HAVE to stick with them!
Good luck on your first HM!!0 -
My 5th half coming up in Feb has pace groups! This could be good for me since headphones are banned for that one, so chattering incessantly to strangers would totally help me (maybe not the strangers however). I will talk to the pacers to see what the plan is. I am a little concerned that this may be a poor strategy for me because the last pace group is 9:30 and even though that's in line with my short race times (McMillan calculator) for some reason I've been unable to break 10 mins for my HM pace. Or maybe it's the thing that will finally help me do it.0
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I've had success with pacers. Which half are you doing? If you're doing PF Chang's here in Phx, there will be plenty of pacers. Most carry the time on a stick in the air. Also, you don't have to talk to them or anyone. But the two I've used are very encouraging to the group that's surrounding them. Pacers are (or should be) capable of running faster than the pace they've signed up for. The two I've used employed a negative split strategy & were dead on finishing a few seconds ahead of their target time.0
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My friend paces for a lot of the races around here. Like others have said he's just another runner who has connections and is running for free. He's super fast, but usually paces slower than his average so he can be sure to be accurate. I haven't run with pacers, but I usually have my ipod nano to pace myself. At my first half, I only saw the pacers at the beginning and end - guess I was running a pretty steady pace between two of them. At my last half, I felt like the time I was trying to beat kept chasing me down. It was certainly motivation to speed up, but I think a steady pace would have been better. If your race does wave starts, the pacer for your group will be at the front of your wave holding a sign. Easy to spot. For your first half, I would just run what feels good for you and focus on having fun!0
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I've been on both ends. I ended up running with some talkative pacers, which I'm not really a fan of. It might be for you if you feel you need to get your mind off of things, but if it's a pacer who also engages their group and encourages conversation, it might take up too much energy.
I had a half pacer who tried to play these word games by mile 10, and I wasn't having it. I found myself stressing too much and spending way too much energy on our word games vs. the running.
I've also been a pacer myself, for a half marathon, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences. I am not the cheerleading rah rah "good job" type of pacer, I found. But I did converse with my group, was social, but not extremely talkative. I did get the job done and crossed the finish line within 30 seconds of the intended time, and my splits were almost perfect. I normally like to race with negative splits, but for this half, it was such a comfortable pace and course that my splits were pretty much even.
If you're a Garmin hound and don't agree with how fast the pacer might be going, you also have to remember that the pacer will probably be leaving some cushion of time to coincide with the mile markers. Example, the pace I was running was 5 seconds faster than the time goal pace, but it allowed for differences with the mile markers.
Things to think about if you want to run with a pacer. You could always leave them if they're going to slow or too fast for you.0 -
If you are going to run with a pacer talk to the pacer before hand to understand how they are going to run the race. The last race I did there were 2 pacers, one would run a steady pace and skip water stops and the other would stop at all water stops but would be running to catch up between.
I like to keep them in sight but generally run between the pace groups. I have a "Want to catch" group and a "Don't want to be passed by" group.
Great information Thanks0 -
I have tried running with a pace group twice. One was my 3rd half this last spring..My sister and I started with the 2:05 group, there were two pacers, the chick took off to the bathroom twice before the first water stop and the guy stopped early at the first water stop and we lost them so we went ahead without them and finished in 2:03. The second time I tried to follow a pacer was for my first full two weeks ago..I was lined up with the 4:10 group, but I fell back quickly after the first mile as I felt he was going to fast. Found out afterwards my first mile was about a nine minute mile, about 30-60 seconds too fast! and taht was after falling back from him. He started the group off way to fast.
But I have two friends that paced a half a month ago and both got their groups in at about perfect paces.
It is really hard to know how good of a pacer they are going to be. But I keep trying to hang with them, the concept is great. i would say find the pace group you think you fit it with and start out with them, but be prepared to either fall back, or if you are feeling great around mile 11 to surge ahead, don't feel at any point you HAVE to stick with them!
Good luck on your first HM!!
Thank you for the response this is really good information to have0 -
I've had success with pacers. Which half are you doing? If you're doing PF Chang's here in Phx, there will be plenty of pacers. Most carry the time on a stick in the air. Also, you don't have to talk to them or anyone. But the two I've used are very encouraging to the group that's surrounding them. Pacers are (or should be) capable of running faster than the pace they've signed up for. The two I've used employed a negative split strategy & were dead on finishing a few seconds ahead of their target time.
No I am running the Phoenix Marathon doing the Half there. This race is in March. But thanks for the information it is good information to have0 -
My friend paces for a lot of the races around here. Like others have said he's just another runner who has connections and is running for free. He's super fast, but usually paces slower than his average so he can be sure to be accurate. I haven't run with pacers, but I usually have my ipod nano to pace myself. At my first half, I only saw the pacers at the beginning and end - guess I was running a pretty steady pace between two of them. At my last half, I felt like the time I was trying to beat kept chasing me down. It was certainly motivation to speed up, but I think a steady pace would have been better. If your race does wave starts, the pacer for your group will be at the front of your wave holding a sign. Easy to spot. For your first half, I would just run what feels good for you and focus on having fun!
Thank you I think that I should just forget about the pacers for my first Half and just focus on finishing and having fun. I do not want to stress about the time etc for the first one.0
