There are also usually crowds of runners around pacers, which does have its negatives at times – keep your wits about you at water stations, in particular, to avoid crashing into people – but is overall a major positive. Not having to worry about pacing the race yourself takes a lot of stress out of the equation, especially in the later stages of a marathon when your brain is fried and trying to work out the splits you need to hit your target becomes very tricky. Pacers aim to run even splits throughout the race and are experienced marathoners that know how to adjust their pace to do that even in crowds or when running over a hilly section of a course. There are many reasons to run with a pacer, starting with the fact they will prevent you from committing the classic marathon folly of starting too fast. Pacers usually run in pairs, and they carry flags on their back advertising the time they are pacing, so it’s easy to spot the one you want to run with even at a crowded start line. At the front end of races that means athletes running at a ludicrous pace for half or two-thirds of the marathon to help someone like Eliud Kipchoge break a world record, while for normal runners pacers will go right through to the finish line, guiding those with them to finish at their target time.Īt major events like the London Marathon there will be an entire squad of around 65 pacers running to hit various times, usually ranging from three up to six or seven hours in 15-minute increments. In simple terms, marathon pacing is setting a pace for others to follow. Here’s everything you need to know about pacing marathons and being part of one of running's most rewarding experiences. Upgrade your footwear: The best road running shoes to buy for men | The best road running shoes for women.That’s the joy of being a marathon pacer, and if you’re reading this there’s every chance you fancy getting in on the action. One of the greater feelings, however, might well be crossing that finish line leading a whole squad of people to their own target time. Read more: The best half marathons in the world.

Why would you pace a race for other runners? If you’ve ever run a marathon then you’ll know that there are very few greater feelings than crossing the finish line, absolutely exhausted but delighted with what you have achieved, especially if you’ve managed to hit your target time.

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