260 runners and walkers turned up on this overcast but still warm morning, cooled, thankfully, by an occasional pleasant breeze.
Although I’m mostly happy running the two laps at a reasonable pace it’s sometimes nice to set a target time and for this I look out for those blue tabarded ‘pacers’ with big numbers on their backs, the analogue version of the Garmin watch so beloved of runners everywhere.
We usually have six or seven pacers covering a range of times at Penrith and I find them a godsend.
Today’s volunteer pacers are, from left to right: Phil Cooper (150 park runs today), Rich Dixon, Mark Wilmot, Sarah Wright, Paul Wilson and Petrina Cassell.
David Spence, a regular pacer not here today, told me how he times his runs, by keeping an eye on his watch to ensure his pace averages a pre-determined number of minutes per km.
He knows intuitively when to speed up if he is held up by a knot of runners, and when to slow down when there’s an open track ahead. He is also aware of markers near the end of the course that he knows from experience are a particular time from the end.
Pacers can sometimes finish a few seconds early, which is not a problem for any of us. I have followed a pacer and been unable to catch up thinking I’d missed my target, only to be pleasantly surprised to find I finished in time after all. I’ve never yet known a pacer to be late.
The trick is to choose a pacer and keep in sight throughout, maintaining a reserve of energy in order to blast past near the finish line. I enjoyed beating Paul that way today, knowing he was limited by his 31 shirt.
Sarah runs with a 30 vest and is very good at keeping a correct pace, often finishing bang on time. I have improved my times steadily over the last couple of years following her. She doesn’t know it but there’s great satisfaction getting in ahead of her, although I didn’t manage it today.
Petrina has been running with a 35 or a 40 vest recently (39 today) and slower runners have commented on how helpful this has been and how appreciative they are that they have been considered. Some have gained personal bests as a result. They can focus on Sarah now.
Here’s Petrina completing her stint.
We had 57 Penrith first-timers today—it’s the holidays—and 22 personal bests. Well done, all.
A full list of participants, results and volunteers can be found at https://www.parkrun.org.uk/penrith/results/latestresults/
