Pacer has something to say too - KLSCM 2019

Before you read further, I just want to remind you that a friendlier version of similar post has been created in 2017, I have hidden all other posts after so that it appears as the post before this, for your convenience. A Pacer's tale

If you choose to stay on to read (which I know you would anyway), do note this post doesn't care about your feelings and the author has an attitude just like that.

So it began with the haze, the haze was bad, so bad that most people thought history would repeat itself and KLSCM (formerly called SCKLM) would be cancelled, and because most people can't train during this time, maybe some (or many?) did secretly hope that the race is cancelled. But to all participants, they have the excuse to NOT meet target, but not for a special bunch of runners, they are hired to do one job and ONLY one job: to pace runners to finish the race at the timing they signed up for, the Pacers. They suffered the same haze situation like anyone else, being unable to train during the heavy haze for almost a month, no matter how fit you are, being unable to stick to the training schedule that you set up to ensure you are fit enough to deliver the job, will somehow affect your fitness level, and to some extend, your confidence level too.

How to train la bro...

Now, I am not here to talk about the race I paced, I am writing in response to the Whatsapp and Facebook post ultra-marathon that has continued for at least 100 hours, gossips from banana peels left behind along the DUKE highway, runners got hit and run, runners cheating, DNFers claiming finisher item to pacer's horrible performance, along with funny MEME or stickers created by "runners".

For runners, the race is over, you got your result (good or bad), then you also somewhat witnessed the performance of the pacers that you followed, there are things you may have already known (but I am going to remind you anyway) and there are things that you don't see from your angle, I am going to address one by one in response to what I have heard, read and experienced:

1. "Pacers gone too fast from the start". I hear this a lot, like almost every time I paced, I get this directly from the runners I passed or sometimes, from pacers too. Look, "fast" is relative in the eyes of the viewer, when someone passed you, they sure look fast, but that doesn't mean they are extremely fast, in other words: you are slow, face it. While there is no fixed rule on pacing, a positive split pacing in my opinion is more realistic for most runners, especially for KLSCM route in which 1st half is relatively flat and 2nd half is more hilly and with heavier human traffic at water station.

My comment on this ? 1st of all if your eyes can tell someone is going at 4 mins pace, you don't need GPS watch, obviously you can't, but you can complaint as though you know it all, duh. Secondly, if pacer going slow 1st half and gone faster in 2nd half, you probably won't be able to keep up, take 4 hours marathon for example, if you can't run 1st half comfortably in 1:58 hrs, you probably not ready for it, reality hurts, but instead of blaming 5:30min/km pace as too fast, check in.

How do you avoid this? If you are serious about your finishing target, please don't wait until race day to look for the balloona, someone sure know one of the pacer to connect you to them and you can ask all the questions you want before the race to get clarity on how each of your pacer will pace, may be you will find the right pacer that fits your expectation. I am glad some runners did send message to me asking about training plan, tips on hydration and nutrition, who is the better pacer to follow for his/her target (ahem, I have my favourites too.) and sometimes I get to advise if the runner is aiming for unrealistic finishing or could actually be more adventurous when they shared their recent race performance and training data.

If you have not done that, don't KPKB when the pacer doesn't pace according to your expectation. You may not like the pacer's pacing strategy, doesn't give you the right to criticize, ask yourself: Who is the pacer now and who knows better in finishing a race at designated timing ?

Did you talk to your pacers on their pacing strategy?

2. "How come Pacers didn't finish the race as the stated timing on balloon"(plus another 2000 words of nasty comments). We hear this more often this week, simply because many of us didn't finish the race at targeted timing. If you read my 2017 post, you would know that anything that could possibly gone wrong for anyone, may go wrong for pacer too on race day. Pacers have life too, it could be a busy week with little rest, I myself woke up with a feeling of throwing up which I have no explanation to it, I have had diarrhea during the race, my watch had frozen screen too. 

We are not bullet proof, and sometimes we make mistakes, aren't runners the nicest and most positive group of people? Some days are just not the right day to deliver the perfect pace, maybe what you could offer is a little bit more compassion to the "failed" pacer, like how we comfort you when you failed to meet your target. Trust me, we feel bad and sorry more than you can tell, some may even have sleepless night for 4 nights now... 

One day, when you become a pacer, you will know how much pressure a pacer carries on the shoulder to deliver your goal.

Even computer makes mistakes

3. "Actually I also can be pacer ma, may be not the fast pace group, I certainly can do below 6 hours!". You got half the picture, able to run and finish a full marathon below certain hours do not equivalent to ability to pace. I have covered this in 2017 post, may be a bit more elaboration here, take example of a 6:00 hours marathon, I can do a 4:30 hours marathon does not mean I qualify to be a 6:00 hrs pacer, it takes consistency and patience, and if I have runners who contacts me 3 months before the race asking for training tips on 6:00 hrs, I am not sure if I can be of service since my training is not for 6:00 hrs.  

4. "Do we follow gun time or nett time as pacer?" In KLSCM case, we follow gun time, whether you like it or not, yeah we are doing gun time. You didn't know about it? why didn't you ask about it to the pacers or to the organizer?

There is reason for this: runners will not know the pacers' nett time because pacers cross the starting line at different timing as most people, so how can you be sure when you are following the pacers (for some reason you got pushed to the front) at the end you are going to finish the same time as the pacers' nett time.

Take my case for example, I crossed the starting line 50s after flag off, and I have always picked up runners who ran faster and crossed the starting line earlier than I did, IF I am doing a nett 4:00 hrs, this runner may come back 4:00:15 simply because he/she started the race earlier than me. Following the Gun time however, will make sure everyone on the same page, it may take extra effort for pacers to catch up the Gun Time, but it is not going to be so big impact when you are spreading it across 42KM.

The only timing that can be aligned is Gun Time

5. "Why the pacers obviously off pace already still continue to pace?" As I said before anything that can go wrong, may go wrong for pacers too, if a pacer forgot to take medication and decides to screw up your race, then it is better for you to take on the race on your own, don't allow yourself to be a victim and cry about it after the race. Of course, you have the right to complain to the organizer or write a viral post about it.

Note this, pacers are not responsible for your finishing goal, they are responsible for their targeted pace, you still need to do your homework on your pacing strategy, maybe a Plan A to follow pacers, Plan B in the case of something gone wrong you have drop pace, Plan C something is wrong with the pacers you have to leave them behind etc.

If you are aspired to be a pacer in near future, know this, You have one job to deliver, that is the target finishing time, unless someone needs your urgent attention (fainted, serious cramp, accident...), you move on with your pace toward the finishing line, even if that means leaving your team mate behind. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS, not even looking good with make up, perfect hair style or unique fashion, finish the job like your life (and reputation) depends on it.

I have a reputation of not pacing in group, I have a plan, I execute it, that's all it is. (and I also have a reputation on delivery of the target pace). To answer the question of why pacer still continue to pace, I don't know the answer, did you try to ask them? Maybe the pacer already informed the followers that he/she is off the duty now and you come from behind not aware of it? Maybe the pacer forgot to cut the balloon loose ?

Pacer has one job: to deliver the pace

6. "To cut or not to cut balloon?" This is probably the hardest decision a pacer has to make, I want to talk about it because one day you may have to answer this yourself. I am always ready to cut balloon, preparing for the worst is the minimum what a pacer should do, I don't mean you sign up as pacer with the mindset to cut balloon,

I mean, knowing that things can go wrong, make cutting balloon as easy task to perform. I suggest never to tie a dead knot and tie the balloon where it is easy to access. That is why I always tie a live knot and keeping the balloon near my arms, as you can see from this photo, this time, I was more ready to lose the balloon given my morning sickness condition, LOL!

Back to the question, again, there is no hard rule, but once upon a time, there was a coach, the coach said that if you are 5 mins off pace for your target, then you should cut the balloon, remove your pacer bid and if possible, prepare an extra shirt (I know, I won't carry too) which you are change into, then runners will not blindly follow you (unless they just want to follow you anyway because you are so good looking or smells so good!). That was the coach's guidance.

For me, it depends on which target you are pacing, a 5 mins gap is probably not so difficult to catch up with 12KM to go in the race for a 6:00 hours pacer, but a 3 mins gap is certainly a tough task to catch up with 12KM to go for a 4:00 hours pacer, that is 15s faster per min per km, that would mean running a 5:25min/km pace for final 12 KM, which even if you can make it, you probably not going to see anyone following behind. So, I would say, make a good judgement yourself as a pacer, if you know you can't catch up the gap, even if it is just 1 min gap with 3KM to go, be responsible, tell runners who follow you the truth, inform them what are their options and what is your plan, and let them decide if they really like your smell.

If you see pacer who is obviously not in the pacing mode (walking, chitchatting, taking photos...) but still carrying balloon and wearing the pacer bib, maybe he/she is trying to keep the balloon for a promise made to a child at home, you can help by gently reminding him/her to take off the pacer bib and I won't comment if he/she should remove the pacer vest. My fellow pacer buddy reverse his vest to wear, I think that may work too. 

Bottom line, make an announcement to your followers, let them make an informed decision, they may not like it, but they should understand it. For pacer, you may not like it, but please don't spoil pacer's image, lose the balloon if you have to, don't be bad apples.

Tie balloon in a way that it is easier to cut loose

7. "GOSSIPS" Not wanting to quote example for this, but I heard too many gossips in the past 100 hrs, myself guilty for being part of the gossips too. That's the part a pacer has to live with, no matter how well you deliver, there will always be someone pick on your performance (too fast too slow too serious too short too fat whatever...). 

Netizens are not going to be friendly, it is always easier to point finger and add more juicy stories on top of what is the truth, sometime nasty comments may come from your own team, you need to learn to live with that and deal with that negative feelings.

For those like to comment on something they "hearsay" but not really knowing the truth, the least you can do is try not to add your personal assumption (I know, I like to play Detective Conan myself too) and speak (or type) as though it is the truth. But then again, who am I to tell you what to do?

Everyone loves this, information is power

8. "Runners who cheated in the full marathon." This almost certain become the next hot topic after the pacers' performances are audited. Now that everyone can check anyone's result as long as you have the names or the bib number, you can be the detective to find out who actually cheated in the race.

Look, it is really none of our business, someone who cheated in the race, unless it prize related, it is not our social responsibility (but u can go and sweep the banana peels if you want) to track and expose someone's act, they didn't commit a crime, they simply broken the rules of the event. They will have to live with the fact that they cheated on a race, but we are not the judge, it is between them and their higher superior.

I myself spotted a few friends running with bibs not registered under their own name, they took the risk they know what they did, I may gossip about it but it is not necessary to put a viral post about it. Likewise for a failed pacer, they have family and friends that love them, making them look bad doesn't make you look great. You may however drop a personal message to the person, hopefully the person will remorse and offer you a really good meal, ah then you may feel great! If the person doesn't reply you, unfriend the person on Facebook !!! (yes, as though that is going to make the person disappear from your life) :D

They made a choice, you make yours

I think I have shared enough in this post, I may update the post when I think of anything more to add on, do drop by from time to time to check if more stories are being added, maybe. If there is something you would like to hear my 2 cents, write in the comment, I may add in some time later.

Note: at the time writing (editing), KLSCM has announced a survey to get participants' comments using a trustworthy vendor, if you have any good suggestion, please don't keep on your Facebook post, send them to KLSCM. It may be invalid sometime later, so do it quick! 

KLSCM 2019 survey

Lastly, race is race, friendship is friendship, please do not kill a friendship over a race, I look forward to see you in next marathon, or may be during weekend LSD. :D

The author is a 2019 KLSCM pacer, what was written is purely his own gossips, he doesn't care if you agree or disagree, because he gets to take picture with UnderArmour ambassadors and you cannot, :D

Some previous reports on pacers:

A Pacer's Tale

SCKLM 2014 Pacer report

A Pacer's Tale

We have often read race reports from runners, whether it is a personal best story, 1st time completing the distance/challenge or a race that didn't go so well, runners write their stories to share their joys or to have lessons learnt by others, and maybe to introduce (or the opposite) the event to those who has not tried.

So I thought, why not a story of a pacer?

Pacers, or the runners with balloons, or the rabbits, they have been called many names, they have been seen as angels or devils (read on, you will know why), but they all serve one purpose and only one purpose:

To complete the race in designated timing.

I am going to try to tell the side of the story from pacer (or as pacer), but before that, let's look what makes a pacer or how to be a pacer. Let's start with some common questions asked:

1. Who are the pacers? 

Amateur Pacers are runners who are appointed by the race organizer to serve as the guide for runners who have specific race target timing to follow (or to benchmark in my definition) to complete the race on target. While there maybe pacers for many race distances (10K, 21K, 42KM), I will refer to 42KM for this write up. In short, pacers are the person u follow to complete the race on time as printed on the balloons (or flags/ bib on shirts)

Professional pacers are engaged in races to pace the elites to focus on the target pace by running together with pacer(s) whose job is to run the exact assigned pace and bring the elites up to certain distance (eg. 20miles) aka to create a fast pace race for the elites and they will then drop pace and let the elites race till the end on their own. Their job is not to win the race (although in some occasions the elites couldn't make it and the pacer ends up winning the race) and sometimes they are the upcoming elites. Pacers also form part of the training for the elites and there are also really short distance pacers. But in this write up I am not talking about this kind of pacer.

If you want to read more about professional pacer or pacemaker, below are some links to read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacemaker_(running)
http://deadspin.com/matt-scherer-got-paid-to-drop-out-of-races-1610142836
http://speedendurance.com/2013/02/01/interview-with-matt-scherer-professional-pacer-rabbit/

2. How are the pacers chosen?

Pacers are chosen by many ways, in big events, interested runners who think they qualify will have to apply to the race organizer for selection. For some events, seasoned runners are approached by the organizer to be appointed. In some occasions, organizer appoints a reputable running group or person to assemble the pacer team for the race.

Regardless the way the pacers team is formed, some forms of selection is done (various criteria in place). The more commonly applied criteria include: personal best timing, years in running, past experience as pacer, consistency in the few events, reputation of the applicant (subjective), personal relationship (reality is a bitch), look/image (again, personal taste), the unspoken list can go on...

As I have some past experiences in forming pacer team, quite often Personal best, consistency in race timing and running experience are my consideration. On the other hand, having a team of pacers that can work together (particularly for the pace groups) is also an important factor (though may not necessary be taken into consideration), having a pace group that communicate well and align among each other on the pacing strategy and communication to the followers can make or break the team.

3. What does it take to be a pacer? Do I qualify as a pacer ? Or can I apply as a pacer ?

These are the kind of questions I get a lot when someone is not sure whether to apply to be a pacer or being approached as a pacer. I supposed the selection criteria above has answer half the question.

Not sure if there is such a thing called guideline

The other half of the answer, lies within YOU, apart from the ability to complete the distance all the time (if not, most of the time), there needs to be the part of you that is willing to let go of personal interest in racing/ winning/ achieving personal best, and to dedicate yourself for the cause to help others to achieve their goals.

Some of the tough questions to ask yourself and only you can answer to yourself is:

What's in it for you as a pacer apart from the politically correct answer?

For the free slot? For the pacer goodies? For fame? For sponsorship? To prove what you are capable of? Be honest, we'd all been there. Whatever your answers are, they are true for you. What's most important is, there must a part in YOU that is doing this for OTHERS.

Then there comes the harder part, no one can give you the confidence to be a pacer (to some extend maybe someone you look up to can inspire you and boost your confidence a bit), if you don't feel confident, don't do it, the runners need to follow someone who is confident to deliver the timing.

But if you are going to do it, choose the pace that is aligning to your experience and training, don't take up a pacer role as a CHALLENGE to yourself, it won't work; take up the pace that you can nail and can share how to nail it with runners, because if they fail to achieve it this time, your sharing will stay with them for the next attempt which you may not be there with them. I personally have some runners drop me a msg few month later to thank me that my words during our last encounter have helped them to finally achieve the goal they chase for.

Pacers with pace flags?

4. Does that mean runners who have experience and fast can be pacers?

Not really. Anyone can run, some can run faster some slower, but not just anyone can be pacer. Pacer needs to be able control their pace consistently, provide useful tips to the followers, distract followers from the dreadful experience when energy runs out and sometimes, to even provide assistance to followers who are suffering from cramps or other difficulties.

More often than not, pacers are experienced runners who are good at the pace that they are pacing, so they may not be fast, but they are good, almost spot on most of the time (if not all the time).

5. So what do pacers do? What are their duties?

The roles are essentially to pace and complete the race on targeted time of course. On top of that, there are assumed roles that many runners would expect from the pacers too, such as sharing tips of running, pacing strategy, motivations, and even making the journey less suffering (more enjoyable?) by singing, telling jokes or engage followers in conversations.

Some other services that may be provided by pacers include explaining the route elevations to pace accordingly, sharing info on water stations supplies (those information may be available on race guidebook already) and informing runners when passing significant monuments (many races run pass the local attractions as part of the route), suggest places to take photos and may even carry extra energy supplies/ 1st aid kit to give out should the followers need some. 

6. So, Pacers are the perfect soldiers ? Nothing seems to bring them down?

Now, just like runners, anything that can go wrong in a race, may go during the race, even for the pacer. Pacers can have stomach upset, side stitch, cramps, can fall, get into wrong route and for some unknown reasons, they end up can't complete their duty. So don't be hard on the pacers when they don't perform as promised, shit happens sometimes.

But of course, if a pacer makes stupid mistake like racing hard the week or the day before the pacing job, indulge in food or drink that should not have been consumed, taking up task that bigger that one can shoulder, then, the pacer deserves the disaster and should be condemned for the misconduct. 

Myself ? Yes, I have made some of those mistakes in the past too, my sincere apology for that.

7. Do pacers always have to stick together as a group ?

My view to the question is Yes and No. Despite the fact that basic assumption is all pacers are able to nail the distance at designated pace, not every pacer can run exact same pace all the time (eg. different water stop intervals and uphill/downhill pace), but yes, they still need to stick together, I can't imagine a pacing group that is 1 mile apart between the pacers.

When pacers stick together and there happen to have a big crowd following them, it will create a huge pacing group (that looks pretty impressive and nice) that will often come with 2 potential problems: 1st, water station stop will see large pacing group swamp in for hydration, that may cause human collision and congestion; 2nd, in event route that is narrow, this may cause traffic congestion for the runners trying to overtake from behind.

Pacing group

Having pacers spaced out by 10-200 metres will allow more rooms for runners to follow without having much body contact and allow the pacer to breathe too ( you will be surprised how close some runners follow the pacers...). The difference in distance is not going to affect much in final finishing time as the gap can be closed in the final few KM of the run. That will also make the gap between the 1st pacer and the last pacer a "pacing zone", as long as runners stay within the zone, they are on track for the timing.


My advice?
1. If you are aspired (if not, inspired) to be a pacer in future events, start by getting comfortable at the distance and pace that you want to offer your service, in other words, make the pace and distance your ace run. Very often I receive comment like "Just put me in any pace below X pace will do", someone else who is very sure about the pace they want to pace is going to get the job 1st.

2. Work on producing consistently better timing on the distance you plan to pace, for example, if you want to pace a 5:00 hrs marathon, a consistent 4:30-4:45 hrs finishing of your recent few races will give not only the race organizer but yourself some assurance that you are capable of reproducing the results.

3. Start short and start on your own, you can always start by offering pacing service to your fellow buddies who are attempting the distance and pace that you are sure to deliver, use them as practice to be a pacer, share your tips, take care of them, and start from shorter distance like 10,15 or 21KM.

4. Write in to organizers, while some organizers do open application for potential candidates to write in, many engage pacers internally, if you do not know anyone, your best chance is by writing in, nothing to lose in sending an email or a Facebook messenger. Once you have prepared well with some proven records of your own, it is just a matter of time before you get noticed or recommended as pacer.

5. Remember, runners put in time and effort to train for their race, they also put their trust and hope on the pacers to help them to achieve their goal time, it is a task with responsibility, so make them fly.

Nothing more rewarding than a handshake or a thank you from the runners after crossing the finishing line, knowing that you played a role in bringing them home, whether it is the entire course or partially.

You can also read about my pacer report back in 2014 here:
http://yewkhuay.blogspot.my/2014/10/scklm-2014-pacer-report.html

and some other pacers' report:
https://takingitallinstride.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/takeaways-from-being-a-half-marathon-pacer/
https://adaptiverunning.com/2016/07/27/2016-beaches-jazz-run-pace-report/
http://teamfatbird.com/pacers-nighthawks-beat-the-sunrise-sundown-marathon-2017/

Note:

Author has been a pacer for more than 10 full marathons since 2013, the write up is based on his limited experiences in non-competitive pacing and personal opinions, it may not reflect the whole picture of pacing, pacer's role, pacer selection or pacer qualification. He encourages runners to pace each other even though they are not under official role as pacers.

Disclaimer: 

All photos credit to the original photographers, some photos are taken online, if anyone find inappropriate kindly leave a msg in comment and it shall be removed/replaced.