In this article (http://www.runnersworld.com/races/five-things-to-watch-in-sundays-london-marathon-mens-race) on RW it mentions pacemakers have been hired to to reach halfway at 61:45, or 2:03:30 pace. A couple questions come to mind. I know LTH has been a pacer for certain time for a HM I believe and not sure whether anyone else who frequents this forum has also performed this role. How challenging is it to hit the correct finishing time without being too conservative or aggressive?
Also George or anyone else may be able to answer this question - how long have pacemakers been "hired" in competitive marathons? Also is it me or do some marathons do not allow pacemakers?
Lastly, these hired pacemakers are they up and coming runners or how are they selected?
Thanks in advance for any answers.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot
I've been a pacer for about a dozen races. For me, and LtH can chime in but I bet he would agree, the pace we run is basically an easy run pace. For that reason it should not be challenging to hit your pace. It is not as hard as you think if you are an experienced runner and paying attention. Obviously factors like weather come into play but I haven't found it too difficult to stay on pace. However what we do and what the elite pacers do is as different as night and day.
The pacers for the elites will be at world record pace. That is a whole different animal. A couple other things to note:
1. There will be probably 4-6 pacers out front for these guys.
2. They will be working together to stay on record pace.
3. They will be dropping out as soon as the half way mark and up to probably around 20 miles. Maybe a bit more but remember, these guys are at world record pace. If they could hold it the whole way they would have their name on the bib instead of "PACER". Of course these guys get one helluva MP workout in.
Waaaaay different than the local yocal pacers like myself.
I'm not sure how they are compensated but I bet they get a set fee plus bonuses for any world record. I also believe that they are from the same running/training groups as the racers and they are guys they trust.
Boston and NYC do not allow pacers. I'm sure others don't as well. And that is why I love watching those races as there is much more strategy and race tactics involved. No way Meb wins Boston last year with pacers. His strategy worked perfectly. Marathons with pacers are basically time trials. Sure they can be fun to watch but for the first ~20 miles it will be all about hanging with the lead group.
Thanks Fuzzy for the scoop!
The marathon I am running on Sunday is using professional pacers. They say that the pacers are running 20 minutes slower than their normal pace and that they are required to finish one minute before the stated time.
http://beastpacing.com/
I have paced a couple of races and will likely pace more in the future - mostly as a way to start knocking 50 states off my bucket list. Plus, it's actually a lot of fun to pace. I agree with everything fuzzy said. I paced a 3:25 marathon group which is a 7:49 pace and a 1:45 half marathon group which is an 8:00 pace. That 7:49 is very, very close to my typical easy pace so I was relaxed throughout. The 8:00 pace took a lot of concentration on my part as I had to continuously reel myself in. Physically it was easy but mentally, it was tiring. In the marathon, they wanted us to finish 30 seconds ahead of goal pace and I finished about 1:30 ahead of goal pace so I was a bit fast. In the half marathon, I was pretty much spot on through Mile 11 but, at that point, all but one person in my group had taken off and the one person who hadn't had bowed out of the pace group around the halfway mark.
I hate pacers for the pros because really, they do just turn the race into a time trial. Tactics are out the window.
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).
When someone goes sub 2 or breaks the next record they won't be needing an asterisk if there are pacers involved. If you're that fast I don't care how you got there as long as there isn't an illegal drug.
Are we there, yet?
If the pacers hit halfway in 61:45 it's going to be very tough to approach the WR of 2:02:57. That would require a 61:12 second half. That's a 4:40 mile pace.
I'm not sure when pacers were first introduced, but for many years they were banned and any records set using pacers would be disallowed. Because of the way in which Bannister's with sub-4:00 mile was described by the press, it was almost not recognized as a record because it described Brasher and Chataway as pacers and implied that Bannister was the only one in the race.
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.
I have paced two 10k's and a half but have no desire to pace a marathon at any pace. Even at easy effort that is just a long ass way to run and my brain cannot wrap itself around the thought.
In my experience you have to be careful not to pace to slow for your fitness, as it is hard to run too slow as it is too fast. In different ways of course.
I do not want to start tossing numbers around but let's just take a minute slower than your slowest slow pace. That would be incredibly difficult to run basically because at that point you are not running at all, but toe-tapping.
no desire to pace a marathon at any pace. Even at easy effort that is just a long ass way to run and my brain cannot wrap itself around the thought.
I have a lot of admiration for people who pace marathons. I think pacing any race would be a lot of pressure due to people depending on you. But a marathon even more so, because so much can happen over 26.2 regardless of the pace you pick. One PM attack ruins a lot of people's day.
Dave
I don't know if this is the case for all marathons, but I know for some, pacers are allowed to complete and compete if they feel good.
I was surprised to see the application form to be a pacer for a local half. The requirement was to have run 5:00 faster than the pace group you are applying for. That would be one hell of a workout to try to pace a 1:30 half, FFS.
One PM attack ruins a lot of people's day.
I agree with LRB about not pacing too slowly. I actually ran for an hour the day before I paced the half specifically to take some of the "pop" out of my legs. I didn't want to hit the starting line completely fresh. I don't think I'd want to pace anything slower than 8:15 for a marathon or 8:30 for a half. OTOH, I still did my standard half marathon warm up for two reasons. First, I wanted to be able to hit the goal pace right out of the gate but my first mile on easy runs is frequently in the 8:45-9:00 range. I sure didn't want to be that far behind from the start. Second, I think it's good to keep up your normal pre-race routine even if you aren't actually "racing."