Pacers

[Deleted User]

Hello people,

I'd like to do a 3:45 FLM, and I'd quite like to run with the 3:45 pacers to take some of the angst out of watch watching. How likely am I to be able to get anywhere near them, though? When I did Venice in October I could see the 4 hour pacers some distance ahead of me in the crowd, but it probably took 20 minutes or so to catch them up. I image it will be much more crowded at FLM. How does it work?

[Deleted User]

Boing.

XFR Bear

I guess you try to start with them. I've never actually run with a group, but I think they have posters on sticks for the first bit so you can aim for them before you start. I also seem to remember that people in the group wore coloured stickers so you could tell when you were near.

There were also shouts of "pacers coming through", which I think annoyed some people - who didn't think the pacing group had any right to ask others to get out of the way so they could have a free run.

[Deleted User]

When I ran the pacers grouped in the pen.( I was aiming for sub 3.30). The stickers on sticks were pretty noticeable, but don't rely on stickers on shirts - they vary. I wasn't happy with the pace they set off at, so stuck to my own schedule. The pacers from the other start were level with me when the two routes came together, at which time I was only a few metres behind the faster pace group from my start. To cut a long story short, they passed me at mile 18 ish, I passed them at mile 21ish and finished in 3.27. So if you can get close fine, but don't worry if you can't find them, just keep to the game plan.