I'll always grant kudo's to the hard work of race orgnizers and volunteers. I've done it in my youth and I know the amount of work involved. But you're not saying it's OK for an RD to have an incorrectly advertised race distance are you? I mean, if it's "about 5K" then say so, but to list a race as one distance and then not attempt to make sure that it is that difference is just sloppy. I don't care how a race is timed, or even if it is officially timed at all (I have my own watch), but the distance should always be as advertised.
I'll agree that a course needs to be accurately measured but GPS, as opposed to riding the bike twice, etc is close enough for me. OTOH, that's one of the reasons to not be so damn picky about dead flat courses. There's a Turkey Trot I have run the last couple of years that only has about 50 yards between the 3 mile mark and the finish so I know it's short. Still, it's hilly enough that you won't be close to setting a PR. (I have a PR of 18:35 but I'm happy to break 20:00 on that mutha). Moreover, because it's a difficult course, you have to give a lot of thought about how you are going to approach it (do I attack the hills or not, etc), and you get to actually race other people rather than just racing the clock. As another poster pointed out, it's fun because it's a lot like "last one there is a rotten egg."
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
I haven't run a lot of races, but one of my favorites had 50 medals at the finish line. They handed them out to the first 50 people to cross the finish line. I have mine, and it says 30th. I like it because it felt more like the "racing" you did as a kid on the playground. It's sort of, "Last one there's a rotten egg", or racing to see who gets to ride in the front seat.
Ohhh I really like that, you got to be so fast to get a medal I would totally do a race like that, that medal would be extra special because you had to earn it not just finish.
You Rang?
speaking of competing against others rather than competing for a time, the urbanathlon i was in had a lot of people waiting for buses and a few people throwing up on the sidelines. Seeing that gave me a good feeling. Hope i don't sound like a terrible person.
Ohh.. you'd love a Disney race!
Rick
PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)
An earlier poster stated that they ran, but did not have any goals until they started to race. I've put a fair amount of thought into this thread and came to the conclusion that I run because I have goals. I had no interest in running until I saw the challenge in it, and I probably would not run without a specific goal in mind. Unlike overeating, running is not something I'm naturally predisposed to do.
My very first running goal was to run the Neverland 5k and not get swept. It was the specter of and fear of failure that got me off my wide bottom and training. In hindsight I see now that the training wasn't really required and that your average healthy person can cover 3.1 miles at a 16 mm pace, but I did not know that and what I didn't know motivated me to run.
Shortly after starting to train, I discovered this Type A personality spam laden shark tank called the RWOL Beginners Forum and I was hooked. I set bigger goals. As I continue to run and train, I'm revising my goals downward. I want to weight less, I want to run faster.
My Running Goals
Run 5k and not get swept - Done
Sub 30 5k - Done
Sub 2:30 Half Marathon - Done
Sub 2:15 Half Marathon - Open
Sub 2:00 Half Marathon - Open
Run Marathon - Open
Break the Tape on a 5k - Open
Non-Running Goals
Weigh 225 lb. - 9 lb. away!
Weight 200 lb.
My goals are ambitious and will take me many years to fill. While I ponder these goals, I've got a little voice in the back of my head. It's asking, "What happens when I meet these goals, or are too old/infirm not to meet them? Will you still run?" I'm hoping to change that predisposition against running to running, no matter how slowly and without any particular goal in mind.
RIck
Former Bad Ass
There were 700 finishers on Sunday's A1A Ft. Lauderdale Marathon (there are 7500 HMers, though). Travel down here and do it!
That's yet another reason that I like GMM: in a marathon that caps at 750 runners, a sub-3 marathon could put me in the top 10 and in the top 3 of my AG!
Damaris
So, is it fair that I got to start the race 1 minute later because there are a lot of runners but I finished in less time than you and you won the AG award? That's OK for smaller races but for races with 500 or more runners, you don't cross the starting mat for minutes. It is not fair to the one that ran the fastest not to get his AG award because you started ahead.
As to AG awards, they are based on chip time down here. Winners are based on gun time.
i totally agree with this. I would be pissed if I beat someone at the end and they got an award over me because they started later. As far as awards go, I generally get a finishers award or get some door prize. my first race I got a door prize of a small t-shirt from a women's gym. It was funny considering I am a dude who was about 290lbs wearing a XXXL shirt.
i totally agree with this. I would be pissed if I beat someone at the end and they got an award over me because they started later.
As far as awards go, I generally get a finishers award or get some door prize. my first race I got a door prize of a small t-shirt from a women's gym. It was funny considering I am a dude who was about 290lbs wearing a XXXL shirt.
So, is it fair that I got to start the race 1 minute later because there are a lot of runners but I finished in less time than you and you won the AG award? That's OK for smaller races but for races with 500 or more runners, you don't cross the starting mat for minutes. It is not fair to the one that ran the fastest not to get his AG award because you started ahead. As to AG awards, they are based on chip time down here. Winners are based on gun time.
Yeah that is why I do not get too hung up on who is on the course. For where I am in my fledgling running career, I am not racing against any one individual, but rather the clock.
I lost an overall A/G award once to a guy who passed me near the finish, but how in the hell would I have known he was in my age group? Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but it is also sometimes an unnecessary reason to kick yourself, or gripe about the system.
My view for most of the events I enter is simply to get from the starting mat to the finish line as fast as I can, and let the chips fall where they may. What the other 50, 500, or sometimes 5000 people are doing on the course is just too much to worry about, with too much already to worry about on my own.
nope not fair. start further ahead if you have a chance to win. push over old ladies and lil kids if you need to
i tend to not worry about awards as I am not competitive
”Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”
Tomas
Are we there, yet?
Is it fair that I got to the finish line first but you get the medal when I didn't even know you were behind me with a faster chip time?
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
thats my point too.
if you are not close enough to trip or be pushed you shouldnt get the award
fair is fair
No more marathons
Fair has nothing to do with it. What did they advertise? If they say that age group awards will be based on chip time, or clock time, or whatever, then as long as that is how they make the awards noone should have a complaint. If you don't care for the particular method being used, vote with your dollars - enter or not.
And really, unless there is cash involved, it's really only about bragging rights. And if I don't like how something was handled, I can always resort to ranting "Yeah, but if ----" to anyone that would listen (pretty much only my DW and DS)
Personally, I prefer clock time because I generally know what my chances are and I line up accordingly. I'm not sure there are even any local races that use chip time as the award criteria - but if they did, so be it.
Boy, have we gotten off topic.
Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey
Lordy, I hope there are tapes.
He's a leaker!
Is there a lot of vomiting?
Don't know if there's a lot of vomiting but there's a lot of walking and a lot of stopping for pictures. Still can't figure out why they call it a "race" rather than, "world's most expensive group run."
Sure. I'll be the annoying person that stands in the front and gets trampled because I'm too slow for the ones that are coming. My races are never small enough for one to start early enough. It takes me between 1-2 minutes to start in 5Ks, 15-20 minutes in marathons. Sure, it is fair, I'll stand in corral E for Elite!
nope not fair. start further ahead if you have a chance to win. push over old ladies and lil kids if you need to i tend to not worry about awards as I am not competitive
Yeap. Exactly.
BTW, all of my races are chip timed, so everybody knows what is going on. And I've lost AG awards (I have 6 AG awards though) because people ended behind me. I never complained about it; I know when I start there are hundreds behind me that will get their turn.
Fair has nothing to do with it. What did they advertise? If they say that age group awards will be based on chip time, or clock time, or whatever, then as long as that is how they make the awards noone should have a complaint. If you don't care for the particular method being used, vote with your dollars - enter or not. And really, unless there is cash involved, it's really only about bragging rights. And if I don't like how something was handled, I can always resort to ranting "Yeah, but if ----" to anyone that would listen (pretty much only my DW and DS) Personally, I prefer clock time because I generally know what my chances are and I line up accordingly. I'm not sure there are even any local races that use chip time as the award criteria - but if they did, so be it. Boy, have we gotten off topic.