Some runners love having a pacer to help them reach their distance and time goals, while other runners despise or never need one. Pacers can often be silent while running beside or in front of you. However, sometimes they can yell at you louder than a drill sergeant laying into Gomer Pyle at basic training in order to motivate you.

Here is what veteran runner Beth McCurdy had to say about pacing:

Most runners define a pacer as “an experienced runner who sets the pace in a marathon to help another runner reach their goal finish time”. If someone paces me, I prefer the laid back approach of simply running along side of me and maintaining a fairly steady pace. Volunteer pace leaders in marathons are great for this purpose. However, sometimes a more, shall we say, aggressive approach is necessary for certain individuals-maybe even a little bit of lying. “If you don’t stay with me, YOU are NOT going to make it”. Or, “After this gravel road stretch, we are there!”

Beth can be seen in the photo above yelling ‘encouragement’ to her friend Dena Farris Cyr. It should be noted though that Dena owns a Boot Camp Franchise called Operation Boot Camp. So Dena likely responds very well to the way Beth is pacing her here at the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon.

Do you like having a pacer when you run? Does a pacer help you run harder/faster or just help the time fly by?

Comments

comments