Haven’t posted in quite a while but just have a quick one to get some thoughts on.
I ran the Warf to Warf 10k today and ran through 4 miles of people before I was really in the open. I started in my pace group at about 9min/miles. (I ran 8 though! Whooo). Here is the question. I weaved in and out of people the WHOLE RACE, sliding through narrow holes and darting for open space, what is race etiquette? I think it goes 2 ways, A) slow people start in the BACK! walkers especially, if you take a break move to the right side like car, cycling traffic. B) if you do have to dart, be super aware of your surroundings and courteous to those you zip between. Thoughts?
I’ve always thought that race directors/organizers could do a much better job of educating people on etiquette. It just seems like there’s a huge opportunity to give a list of rules or behavior in the race number packets or emails.
Last year I wound up running almost an extra half mile at the Country Music Half Marathon because of all the weaving I had to do to stay on pace.
In my opinion road races have been just about ruined by walkers and slow joggers. It’s not really their pace, it’s the fact that they are mainly new to the sport and feel that since they paid their entry fee they should be allowed to line up anywhere they want.
As a slow swimmer I know my place when lining up at the swim start. If I line up with the fast guys I deserve to have my face kicked in. I paid the same entry fee as everyone else but that does not give me the right to line up somewhere I don’t belong.
I don’t know what the answer is. I come from a running background but these days I don’t enjoy running in major races expressly for this reason.
The NY Road Runners Club has started seeding people it got so bad. You’d see people lined up by the 6-minute pace standard who it was obvious were going to be going at a 10 minute pace. The races are much better now. Unless it’s a pretty small race, I’ll only do road races that have a separate start for competitive runners.
I think race organizers should take more responsibility to educate people on race etiquette, as people might pay more attention to rules and directions when it comes from an “official” source.
Same problem in swimming pools… I guess some people just don’t understand the difference between Fast, Medium and Slow lanes!
Thanks for the replies. I kind of felt like an ass shooting between people even though I don’t run sub 40min. But I’d like to think I’m out pushing myself in every event.
Half the people have headphones on and don’t even know I am there anyways!
Thanks for the replies. I kind of felt like an ass shooting between people even though I don’t run sub 40min. But I’d like to think I’m out pushing myself in every event.
Half the people have headphones on and don’t even know I am there anyways!
Maybe if I carried a taser
I’ve had the same experience, I decided that I have no sympathy for people who show no consideration for others.
Seed yourself closer to the front to avoid these problems. There will still be slow people and walkers up there, but you’ll get around them and into the clear much faster.
Thanks for the replies. I kind of felt like an ass shooting between people even though I don’t run sub 40min. But I’d like to think I’m out pushing myself in every event.
Half the people have headphones on and don’t even know I am there anyways!
Maybe if I carried a taser
Seed yourself by finishing place, not by pace. For example, I ran a 10,000 person urban 10k in 37:00 and finished 150th. At the start there were about 50 people per row across the road…so I should be in the 3rd row, not 50 yards back at the 6:00/mi sign (behind 1,000 people who I will need to pass).
Bay to Breakers allows you to be in a special seeded section up front if you have run a sanctioned 10k in under 40:00 that year. More races should probably do this, plus a section for top AGs who have slower times but still deserve to be able to actually race.
I avoid big races like that if I’m shooting for a PR. I always get behind people and they are totally oblivious of the move to the right rule when walking. We have a race here where the point is to beat a bridge before it is opened to let boats go under. I missed it by 2 minutes because I just couldn’t get around people. Drove me crazy! I was honest and seeded myself in the right wave and got screwed because of it. Next time, fastest wave, at the back.
If I do a big race it is only as an excuse to go out for breakfast afterwards. Small races are more fun anyway.
I was at Wharf to Wharf today as well. Seeded myself halfway between the 6 and 7 minute groups and ran a 40:35 (it’s a 6 mile race) so I guess I was in the right neighborhood – but not many people were. My first mile was 7:45 as I navigated tons of walkers and slow runners. It wasn’t until about the third mile that the crowds broke up, but even at that there was still some traffic-dodging to do. Heck, I was coming upon large groups of racers walking four or five abreast at Mile 5. Now how did they get up there that quickly if they were walking? Apparently many non-registered people walk, run, stroll, skateboard – you name it – onto the course along the way. My buddies and I estimated that in addition to the 15,000 runners signed up there were 5,000, maybe 10,000, other people on the course. If I run this one next year I’m putting myself in the front line.
I think you’ve got it right, but unfortunately people will continue to seed incorrectly. If this is an issue for you then start nearer the front or pick smaller races. There’s no way I’d enter a 10K with 5000 people in it and expect to run unobstructed. For 10K’s I prefer a field of under 1000 runners.
Your problem is that you seeded yourself incorrectly. When they say 9 minute miles you took that to mean 9 minute miles consistently and still be able to sprint solidly to the finish. The average public takes it to mean “it may be physically possible for me to think about doing 9 minute pace right as I take off until maybe the start line… if I’m lucky”. Most people just have no idea what their pace is. Especially at the shorter more casual races. If you’ve ever ran that distance before and know what your pace will be… go WAY ahead of where you should technically be.
We were at the SF Marathon this weekend and could not believe the amount of walkers and people who weren’t likely to make cutoff starting at mile 4. Apparently they were doing that basically from the start according to our runners. I’m ALL for those people coming out and doing it. And I understand they were probably trying to stay ahead of cutoff. But to interfere with legit runners who were correctly seeded is completely unacceptable.
A lot of the races are requiring race result verification to get into the faster corrals… problem is they’re not offering enough spots in those corrals so if you register late you’re stuck with the free entry corrals.
Oh, I forgot too… TONS of people not keeping right (when stopping even, not just when slow) and TONS of people stopping on course or turning around to TAKE PICTURES… interfering with other runners. That kind of stuff definitely needs to be put on the website and in the race packet material and announced.
My wife and I were used to the Bolder Boulder, a gizzlion waves that you have to send in a race time to get seeded and for the most part a pretty decent understanding of walkers on the right.
So we are in mid-summer form and going down to Atlanta same weekend as the Peach Tree, hey, since we are coming down from altitude, might as well gor PRs.
We get to the start, ok, not the start, about a mile back were our wave was starting, and my wife announces to me and my buddy, I’m going to the front, she tried to make her way but only got about 50 yards ahead of us, where she remained through the first 2-3 miles of walking. I remember teams of walkers, walking hand in hand 6-8 across the middle of the road.
I think that was the last “big” race we ever did. Now its the local events 200-600.
You mis-seeded yourself. In most races, you will have almost no problems if you are relatively fast and begin near your correct pace (I am not sure about Wharf-to-Wharf). At the Seattle RnR Marathon last month, the shuttle buses were so backed up that many folks missed the start (including me). I started 15 minutes late, and zigzagged through ~6000 runners for the first 15 miles. Because of the start snafu, there were several people doing the same thing. Just stay as courteous as possible, slow down if you are hopelessly boxed in, look ahead, apologize when zipping though real tight spots, breathe loudly to alert folks that you are approaching, and keep a positive attitude!
As someone else mentioned, you should seed yourself based on what position you plan to finish at. In local races, I will seed myself in the front row, but with an international field, I make sure to put myself a few rows back. This still won’t guarantee you won’t have to deal with “overly optimistic runners”, but it will make the first km a little less annoying.
In my experience, the worst seeded people in the first few rows are high school boys in the 15-18 year old range. These guys just can’t fathom the idea of a middle aged man beating them. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have thought it possible at thier age either…
