Pacer Groups

THE TOP 5 REASONS TO RUN WITH A PACE GROUP

By: Joshua J. Reiter

First things fi rst…what is a pace group you ask? Well….. The Baltimore Marathon Pacers are experienced runners who come from all parts of the country to help the race participants meet their goals. We run at a specifi c, consistent per mile pace and fi nish at a specifi c time. Your job is to just join the group, relax, run with us and have a great race.

NUMBER 5 How many of you are a little nervous before a race? How many of you are a lot nervous waiting at the start line? How many of you are nervous but you just don’t want to admit it? Well, if you run with the pacers, there is no need to be nervous. Your group leaders are experienced marathoners and pacers and have run many, many races before. At the start line they will review their plan for the race, answer any questions you may have, and give you some last minute hints and tips which will make you feel awesome! (and not a bit nervous!)

NUMBER 4 Running a marathon takes a few hours. There is a chance you might get bored on the course be, but if you run with the pace groups there is NO WAY YOU WILL BE BORED. The pacers are a passionate, friendly and entertaining group that will lead you through the 26.2 mile tour of Baltimore and the time will just pass by. Some of the pace leaders sing songs, some play trivia games, some tell jokes (some good, some meh…but they try hard). No, sorry, there are no boring pace groups with this team.

NUMBER 3 There will be thousands of runners on race day, but if you don’t know anyone, you might feel a bit lonely in the sea of runners. Lonely? At a marathon? Not with a pace group! Your pace leaders will become your instant friends. They will provide you with answers to your questions. They are knowledgeable about marathons and running– we challenge you to quiz them. Most importantly, you will be making new friends with the participants in your pace group since they are all running the same pace as you. You will instantly bond with people which makes the race go by quickly.

NUMBER 2 If you are not very consistent and afraid you will start out too quickly because of the excitement or that the early rush may cause me to have to slow down at the end, you may consider running with a pace group. Yes, with the excitement of thousands of runners and the adrenaline pumping, it is only natural to want to speed up at the beginning of the race. And you are correct, it could impact your fi nishing time if you go out too fast. You may ask, if that is a common thing to do, how do I prevent it from happening to me. That’s easy – JOIN A PACE GROUP. We run at a consistent per mile pace. You don’t even have to look at your watch – the pacers are your watch. They will not only run consistent miles, but they will bring the group in at the goal time. Just join the group, enjoy the scenery and let the pace team set your pace. It’s that easy.

NUMBER 1 OK you just heard four pretty good reasons to join a pace group, but if you are still not sure you should run with the pacers, I saved the best reason for last. The number one reason to join the pace group is because running with a pace group is TOTALLY AWESOME FUN!!!! You run with veteran marathoners, you meet new friends who run your pace, you get hints and tips from the pacers, you may get to sing songs, play trivia, learn new jokes and run with a great group. Oh, any by the way you get all of this for the low, low, low price of…..are you ready for this? IT IS FREE!!!

It also important to note that you are not obligated to run with the pace group the entire way. In fact, if towards the end of the race we see you are really strong and inspired, we will encourage you to break free and go for it towards the fi nish. If you need to slow down…that is fi ne too, we have several pace groups behind us that you can join… and of course, if you want to run with the pacers the entire way stride for stride…we always enjoy the company.

So join us at the Baltimore Running Festival, we know you will enjoy it. Stop by out booth at the Expo to talk to some of the real live pace team members. They are happy to see you and will answer any questions you have.

If you have questions, contact us on Facebook: Baltimore Pacers and Friends, or via email at pacerfeedback@gmail.com. See you at the start line!