Race Pacers - Do's/Don't

emerald007

So i'm going to be pacing a race this weekend (Terenure 5 mile - there are still places available to enter it's a great race) I understand the basic idea that i should run at an even pace, but what other things should i be thinking about before, during and after the race.

rom

I would think banking time over a flat course ain't a great idea. I would also think that taking hills at the same pace is one way to drop people. Same effort and maintain same AVG pace I think is best.

pconn062

Are you an official race pacer, or just helping out a friend?

menoscemo

PM a mod for access to the secret pacers forum, there's lots of good info in there .
However I would imagine pacing a 5 mile is much different to pacing a HM or a Marathon. I would normally say lots of chat and jokes at the start and loads of encouragement at the end, but I imagine at the pace you are pacing (30 mins I'd say??) there won't be much chat?

So for Sportsworld (being totally flat) the best advice is keep even splits and a bit of gentle encouragement towards the end of the race.

emerald007

pconn062 wrote: »

Are you an official race pacer, or just helping out a friend?

Official race pacer

I'd also be interested to know the runners getting paced consider the extra do's and don't apart from pacers.

How much talking should we be doing?. Do people want to be encouraged in the final mile or should we just shut up and get them to the line.

Assuming we have a group aiming for the time, should the pacers run in the center or to the side of the group?

emerald007

menoscemo wrote: »

PM a mod for access to the secret pacers forum, there's lots of good info in there .

For real?

menoscemo

emerald007 wrote: »

For real?

yep, but it is mostly about marathon pacers

adrian522

What time are you pacing? Who is doing the 40 min?

emerald007

adrian522 wrote: »

What time are you pacing?

30min

adrian522 wrote: »

Who is doing the 40 min?

- Not sure

ultraman1

Top bit of advice is ..dfiu... as there is no hiding place now DAT we know ur doin it,..someone on here has been known to check..think he's a northy

menoscemo

You're number one goal IMO is to get in under time (but not too much). It would be a total kick in the teeth for someone to follow you from gun to post and hit 30.01. However if you get in at low 29:xx or high 28:xx you might burn a few off a discourage a few others. It's a tricky job no doubt so you'll be spending most of your time checking pace etc.

My Best tips would be:
Use the garmin pace as a guide but use mile markers as your measurement. If you pass mile 1 in 6:10 you are behind schedule even if your garmin says you are on 5:59 pace

Don't set your garmin up for current pace. It is very erratic. Use average pace or average pace/lap. I'd imagine you want to keep around 5:55 (allowing for a bit of extra 'distance' on the garmin) pace and then keep an eye on the markers to make sure all is ok.

Get about a 10-15 second buffer over the first 4 miles to give yourself a bit of room for encouraging folks in over the last half mile. Send anybody looking strong on ahead over the last bit.

For 30 minutes start up near the front. Let any would be pacees know that you are there, ask them to start behind you. If you run say 29:55 but start from back in the pack, someone might run 30:10 and finish in front of you. I assume you will be pacing off chip time? If so let them know before that if they are following you they need to start beside or behind you.

Best of luck with it.

menoscemo

Oh yeah: don't forget to take the piss out of folks whose garmin beep on the KM. They are obviously triathletes and have no place in a running race :pac:;)

pconn062

emerald007 wrote: »

Official race pacer

I'd also be interested to know the runners getting paced consider the extra do's and don't apart from pacers.

How much talking should we be doing?. Do people want to be encouraged in the final mile or should we just shut up and get them to the line.

Assuming we have a group aiming for the time, should the pacers run in the center or to the side of the group?

Pacers in a 5 mile race? That's a new one on me! If it's flat I imagine even splits would be the best way to go (although I've never paced anything longer than a 1500m!).

RayCun

pconn062 wrote: »

Pacers in a 5 mile race? That's a new one on me! If it's flat I imagine even splits would be the best way to go (although I've never paced anything longer than a 1500m!).

You're the first one to say "pacers in a 5 mile!?! But it's so long!"

TFBubendorfer

pconn062 wrote: »

Pacers in a 5 mile race? That's a new one on me! If it's flat I imagine even splits would be the best way to go (although I've never paced anything longer than a 1500m!).

It might be new for a 5 miler, but I have paced a 10k before.

Even pace is what you are looking for, and with shorter distances it is even more important than with marathon as you don't really have time to catch up if you're falling behind.

I'd usually suggest to use a pace band and give that priority over the Garmin as long a the mile/km markers are accurate, though for a 30 mins 5 miler the maths is trivial enough to do it in your head

TRR

Most important thing is to tell anyone who questions your pacing during the race to fcuk off.

Secondly hang around the finish line giving out high fives and shoulders!

PDCAT

TRR wrote: »

Most important thing is to tell anyone who questions your pacing during the race to fcuk off.

Secondly hang around the finish line giving out high fives and shoulders!

Don't forget to bump chests.... (especially with the females).
Its expected...

emerald007

Just looking at the results from last year

http://www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=1284

will be interesting to see if having 30min pacers will see more people finishing within +/- 30second. I also note that based on my time from last year it might be questioned if i'll run sun 30mins

nerraw1111

Don't say at mile 4: "Has anyone seen the pacer? Are we on the right pace? You thought I was the pacer? That's hilarious."

ecoli

Don't tell them you are on for a PB (until after the race anyway), trust me they won't appreciate it

robinph

You don't have time to be having a conversation with the pacees, but when you go past the mile markers shout out the time, don't take any crap from them when their watches beep a few seconds later and they claim you are underpace, or the other way round. The only conversation needed is shouting out the times to reassure them you are on target. Unlike a marathon though you don't have the opportunity to tweak the pace a bit when going through the first couple of miles, so you need to be sure that you can hit close to the right pace on feel from the off and then tweak a tiny bit based off the Garmin as you get through the 1st mile, only trust the actual mile markers though.

If anyone is able to critisise on the way round then tell them they are not trying hard enough if they have that much energy spare and they should bugger off in front.

BeepBeep67

I've paced several 5k's for Fit4Life races (20mins).
Everything is pretty much covered above, very little chit chat in the first 4k, just reassurance it's all going according to plan.
Last k just encouraging those with something in the tank to motor on and those struggling to keep working.
I would normally aim to be 5-10 secs ahead of average pace hitting the last k, so I can hang back and give extra support.

One important point to note, just encourage, don't give the Sergeant Majors, if someone is working at their max you don't want to be the one that pushes them over the edge!!!
So it's more, 'nearly there, keep working, only 400mts to go' instead of 'go on push yourself, give it everything, now sprint'.

digger2d2

emerald007 wrote: »

So i'm going to be pacing a race this weekend (Terenure 5 mile - there are still places available to enter it's a great race) I understand the basic idea that i should run at an even pace, but what other things should i be thinking about before, during and after the race.

Get Stephen W. to forward the extensive mail I sent with regards to pacing this. Anyway, run even splits, be nice to people and make sure you don't fcuk it up

RacoonQueen

Don't take pacing advice from ecoli ffs.

chinguetti

Wear two watches (one garmin, one stopwatch) as one may go on the blink when you least expect it to.

sconhome

chinguetti wrote: »

Wear two watches (one garmin, one stopwatch) as one may go on the blink when you least expect it to.

Or, just wear a Polar

Trampas

Digger can I wear my Donadea 50km top as my pacing top today as Anto said I could

Krusty_Clown

AKW wrote: »

Or, just wear a Polar

Good suggestion. Wear a Garmin, and a Polar as a stopwatch.

PippaChic

Sorry if I'm off topic, but if anybody know of a 10km race in the Meath/Westmeath/Cavan area that will have pacers could you please let me know?

robinph

emerald007 wrote: »

Just looking at the results from last year

http://www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=1284

will be interesting to see if having 30min pacers will see more people finishing within +/- 30second. I also note that based on my time from last year it might be questioned if i'll run sun 30mins

61 people sub 30 minuted last year, 63 this year, and a couple of people only a second outside.

Not too bad a result for the emerald007 pacing train.

statss

robinph wrote: »

61 people sub 30 minuted last year, 63 this year, and a couple of people only a second outside.

Not too bad a result for the emerald007 pacing train.

if you look at the video on precision timing emerald comes in bang on 30 minutes with the other pacer a couple of seconds before him. good work lads.

emerald007

statss wrote: »

if you look at the video on precision timing emerald comes in bang on 30 minutes with the other pacer a couple of seconds before him.

Thanks but the way i'd interpret those numbers is that 30 min pacers are not needed in future.

From comments on the race thread we did hit the first mile a little quick (5m 45s) but the first mile is down hill and had no wind. We weren't banking time but we knew there was a windy drag up to templeogue over miles 2 and 3.

If i was to do it again i'd make sure i knew exactly where all the mile markers are since there was a slight panic trying to spot each mile marker as we approached them. I'd suggest to the organisers that the mile markers should be clearer, have a time caller at the first three miles and 800,400,200 meter marks into the finish. Also KM's markers!

I still have my pacers t-shirt so look forward to being a "bad pacer" at an upcoming 5mile or 5km!

Frank has a nice articule in todays times - http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/blessed-are-the-pacemakers-1.1802812