Maybe you’ve noticed those runners lined up in a race holding a stick with a finish time on it. In case you were wondering, those are PACERS. It is their job to hold a certain, specified pace throughout the race to help runners stay consistent and (hopefully) reach their goal time.
In the spirit of community, the ZOOMA Race Series provides a team of experienced pacers at all of their half marathons.
Why? Because together, we can achieve so much more than on our own! Pacers are experienced runners who have run and/or paced many half or full marathons. The time they pace is a much slower time than they would normally race to ensure they can nail their pace and be encouraging and motivating the whole way! Their motto is "We run slower than we can so that others can run faster than they ever thought possible!"
Pacers have designated "pacer" shirts and hold pacing signs that have the time they are pacing on it as well as their names. They run an even pace from start to finish with a goal of finishing within a minute under their goal time. For example, the 2:30 half marathon pacer will finish between 2:29:00 and 2:30:00. Pacers aren't just runners with a lot of experience, they also have fun personalities to help you reach your goals! Running with a pacer is like running with your own personal coach:
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They motivate you
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Tell you what lies ahead on the course
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Get to know you
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Help you with hydration and nutrition
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Help you run an even pace (no more going out too fast!)
The beauty of running with a pacer is that you don't have to keep looking at your watch and getting stressed out that you aren't running the time you'd like. Simply hop into a pacing group and let them do the work while you focus on staying positive and running strong!
ZOOMA has pacers for the half marathon starting at 1:45 and ending at 3:30 with every 15 minutes in between covered. They will be lined up at the start line in order of finish time. No need to sign up, just meet them at the start on race morning! Let them help you reach your goals!
Carrie Miller is an experienced pacer and personal run coach certified by the USATF and RRCA. She's also the owner of On Pace Race - a pacing company that organizes and leads dynamic pace teams for races across the United States. She’s run 39 full marathons including 9 Boston marathons as well as 50 and 100 mile ultras. She and her husband Paul have 5 young children.