The first Saturday in June was bright and felt like summer had arrived. I had volunteered to pace at Penrith parkrun and I was a little nervous.
So, what is the job of a pacer? To complete the course distance in a given time. Pacers usually run within themselves so that they can encourage anyone who is aiming at that time. Easy, or so you would think. So, when the run director announces the pacers and says “They will try and hit their time” the emphasis is on try.
I was joined on the start line by four other pacers Steph Hulford (32 mins) Carol Milne (28), Paul Wilson (27) and Susanne Smith (23) and the other 270 participants.
My target was 30 minutes, it started well and I was aware I had a few followers. When Dan and Flo Turner passed me, I was comfortable, but a little jealous of Flo being pushed on her unicycle.
Pacing does bring a bit of pressure because we do it to help others but things can go wrong. Your watch may not start immediately, batteries run out, you get our calculations wrong and running slower than you usually do can be difficult.
Pacers can be helpful because runners want to complete the course in a given time, but their reasons for doing this vary. Some are coming back from injury or illness and use it as a stepping stone to progress.
Others are practising running at a certain pace in preparation for a longer run. Some are trying for personal or seasonal bests. I have used pacers in the past because it gives me something to focus on, other than my watch.
As a pacer all I do is keep checking my watch and try to remember where I’m supposed to be on the course at a particular time.
I need to work on this because I got to the finish tunnel a minute early which was less than helpful. A few people thanked me because they stuck with me but I know I lost a few people on the way. Pacers can provide motivation for runners, because they can try their best to keep up with them. Being well ahead of time on this occasion meant that I inadvertently provided extra motivation for some.
I asked the other pacers, who were more accurate today, why they do it? Mostly it’s because they like helping others. It can be fun aiming for a time. Its social and you meet new people. It’s also a way of volunteering at parkrun.
There were 28 PBs on Saturday some of which were achieved with the pacers help.
So, when you see pacers at Parkrun say hi, tell us how we can help, and we will all try and get it right.
