A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
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Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#2Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#3The article uses the term pacer and rabbit but never really explained what function exactly this type of runner performed for the race organizers. They only alluded to this when mentioning other runners depending on the pacer. A little confused who the intended reader for this article is.
I had to follow up with a Wikipedia search where just the usage of the term “pacemaker” or “pacesetter” made things more clear.
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#4This service is a "PED" for elite runners.
Kipchoge broke the marathon WR with a team of fresh runners to draft off of.[0]
[0] https://www.colorado.edu/today/2022/10/06/drafting-can-save-...
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#5The article uses the term pacer and rabbit but never really explained what function exactly this type of runner performed for the race organizers. They only alluded to this when mentioning other runners depending on the pacer. A little confused who the intended reader for this article is. I had to follow up with a Wikipedia search where just the usage of the term “pacemaker” or “pacesetter” made things more clear.
So you did a Wikipedia search for it, then came back to write a comment about it, whilst also not explaining it either?
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#6[dead]
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#7It does seem kind of cheap to rely on a pacer, I can see how purists lament it as "not real racing".
It eliminates an entire dimension from the competition: managing oneself and being aware / humble enough to not push unsustainably hard at the start only to run out of juice later on.
Using a pacer essentially reduces the race to an artless treadmill grind.
As an observer, the paced portion of the race is stupidly boring. The entrants don't make interesting moves at all for the paced duration, it's as though the race hasn't actually begun until into the third lap in a 1-mile race (only 4 laps total).
Example: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lqa36sQhmg&t=111 (thanks to @m348e912 for the link)
Edit: @infamousclyde: Thank you for sharing some of the upsides. Valid point even if still boring for viewers.
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#8The article uses the term pacer and rabbit but never really explained what function exactly this type of runner performed for the race organizers. They only alluded to this when mentioning other runners depending on the pacer. A little confused who the intended reader for this article is. I had to follow up with a Wikipedia search where just the usage of the term “pacemaker” or “pacesetter” made things more clear.
So you did a Wikipedia search for it, then came back to write a comment about it, whilst also not explaining it either?
Here you go: “A marathon or half marathon pacer is a volunteer runner that runs a race at a specific pace for a target finish time. Pacers are usually veteran runners that have racing and pacing strategies they have mastered which they utilize during the course of the race. Pacers wear some type of signage/object such as a sign, balloon, or shirt identifying their target finish time.”
Link: https://halfmarathonforbeginners.com/what-is-a-pacer-in-runn...
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#9This service is a "PED" for elite runners. Kipchoge broke the marathon WR with a team of fresh runners to draft off of.[0] [0] https://www.colorado.edu/today/2022/10/06/drafting-can-save-...
That run isn’t and never has been considered the marathon WR for that and other reasons
Re: A runner who leads every pack and then vanishes
#10The article uses the term pacer and rabbit but never really explained what function exactly this type of runner performed for the race organizers. They only alluded to this when mentioning other runners depending on the pacer. A little confused who the intended reader for this article is. I had to follow up with a Wikipedia search where just the usage of the term “pacemaker” or “pacesetter” made things more clear.
"Pacer" is a common word used to describe many activities that are time limited. It takes the common noun "pace" and a average English speaker )or really even a non native speaker) could figure out "pacer" means "to keep pace".