Marathon pacers find satisfaction in helping achieve goals

A couple of seconds before the clock reads 2 hours and 57 minutes on Sunday, you can count on Ron LaPoint striding across the finish line at the Prairie Fire Marathon.

In fact, if you follow LaPoint from the start of the race, he will be an example on how to pace yourself, how to tackle the hilly parts of the 26.2-mile course, and even how to approach the water stations for runners aiming to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

“I have to be a visible reference for others on how to run that distance in a smart way,” LaPoint, a 35-year-old from Maize, said.

That’s because LaPoint will be one of 30 pacers — experienced runners who provide a steady pace to achieve a targeted time — guiding others during the half-marathon and marathon on Sunday.

But why would anyone choose to go through the training and then the actual act of running a little over 13 or 26 miles for it to not count?

‘A way to give back’

It’s not a coincidence that this year, all 30 of the pacers are local runners.

“That’s the thing about the running community and even more specific to Wichita, we’re a very inclusive community,” said Lacy Hansen, who coordinated the pacer team for the Prairie Fire Marathon. “Everyone wants to see everyone succeed, whether your goal is a sub three-hour marathon or you finish your first half-marathon in three hours. It doesn’t matter because we all understand the sacrifice and hard work you’ve put in.”

Some on the pace team volunteered for the position after other obligations prevented them from training properly for their own goal.

“To me, this is Wichita’s race and this is something I’ll always volunteer to pace for,” said Kyle Shults, who will pace for 1:30 in the half marathon. “In Wichita, it’s like one big community and helping members within that community is important to me.”

In years past, Hansen has had to go outside of Wichita and hire pace teams to come in for the Prairie Fire Marathon.

But so many local runners were willing to help this year, there was no need to go outside of Wichita. For the first time in the Prairie Fire Marathon’s seven-year history, every pacer on Sunday will call Wichita their home.

“It’s really cool to see how many people want to be there to support their local runners,” Hansen said. “You can’t always race, but you can always find a way to help. Honestly, it’s just a way for these runners to give back.”

‘Be like a metronome’

Pacers are typically veteran runners who could run the time they are pacing for “in their sleep,” according to Hansen.

They are runners themselves, so they understand that many runners have their routine and like to follow it on race day. Many will rely on the pacer to carry them along to achieve their goal, so it’s up to the pacer to maintain a manageable pace.

“You don’t want to be the one thing in their race plan that doesn’t go the way they want it to go,” LaPoint said.

“We have to be like a metronome,” added Hanna Rosov, who is pacing the 4:57 group in the marathon. “You have to hit certain marks at certain times. What we try to do is practice that pace, so we can hit it during the race. It does feel difference when you’re running slower than what you’re used to, but we have our Garmin’s on and we know what it feels like to be at that pace.”

In the final two miles, when the runners are in the most pain, the pacer’s job becomes more than just running — their motivation becomes more verbal and they’re prepared to become a distraction if they think it will help the runners.

That’s why you will see some pacers wear outrageous outfits Sunday, everything from sombreros to short shorts to super-hero costumes.

“Toward the end, your brain kind of shuts down and turns to mush,” Rosov said. “When people start out, they’re determined to finish their goal. But at the end, they just want to lay down. So we have to make stupid jokes or talk about stupid stuff so you can keep people engaged and not thinking about how much they want to stop running. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?”

But ultimately, they are judged by what time they cross the finish line in.

“I don’t want to cross the finish line at 1:30 in the half (marathon),” Shults said. “I want to cross in something slightly less because I want to see my runners meet their goal and I want to see them beat it. So we’ll probably cross 10, 15, 20 seconds under 1:30. In my mind, if they exceed their goal then mentally that will enable them to get even quicker.”

‘A junkie for watching others achieve’

Ask any pacer and they will tell you there is a different kind of satisfaction to finishing a race as a pacer than as a racer.

Fernando Martinez, who will be pacing the 1:30 half-marathon group, is one of Wichita’s most accomplished runners. He’s won big-time races before, but he says that feeling doesn’t compare to the one he gets now.

“It’s just totally different,” Martinez said. “You give and you receive. By giving my talent to be able to run a 1:30 half marathon, I get back the joy of helping these people achieve their goal.”

Rosov keeps coming back to pace because of the moments at the finish line.

“I’m kind of a junkie for watching others achieve their goals,” Rosov said. “That’s what I love about pacing. I don’t have to focus on me, I get to focus on them. You get to see people do that one thing they’ve always told themselves they were going to do. Running 26.2 miles is a huge accomplish, I mean that’s a big deal.”

While some pacers have their own goals to chase, they all agree there is nothing like watching someone else reach theirs.

“Crossing the finish line and turning around to see their faces when they cross is so much more satisfying to me than running the race myself and trying to shave off a couple seconds off my PR,” Shults said. “I would much rather watch someone else do something they’ve never done before.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Marathon pacers find satisfaction in helping achieve goals."