The sense of achievement and happiness I gain from the thank you’s I get after pacing is very meaningful.' Heda likes pacing because helping several people achieve their personal best is the ultimate medal for him.įor new runners and those gunning for a target time, the advantages of sticking to a pacer are manifold. While running for myself and chasing my personal goals is good for my ego, helping others is rewarding in a different way.

“Contrary to popular belief, pacing is a voluntary effort in amateur running by experienced runners who are willing to forego their personal timings for the collective benefit of the running community at large,' says Bengaluru-based corporate lawyer Abhineet Awasthi, 26, who has paced the Mumbai Marathon since 2014.Ī lot of runners are keen to pace a race because, as Gurugram-based Sridhar says, it is an “extremely fulfilling experience. “All these responsibilities make it more challenging to pace a race rather than run your own race,' says Arti Daga, 38, a Mumbai-based architect who will be pacing her fourth race at the Mumbai Marathon. “Besides, pacers also keep the group they are leading motivated right from the time their names are announced by the organizers,' says Dinesh Heda, 48, a veteran pacer and chartered accountant from Goa. The pacer helps set an even pace, and guides his/her group through the race route traffic, aid stations, hydration stops and toilet stops. Pacers help runners from making common mistakes like starting too speedily and struggling at the end or starting too slow and then be left staring at a mountain to climb in the latter half of the run. Im a Covid-19 Nurse Responder and I am proud that even with this job, it hasn’t stopped me training for a marathon no matter how hectic my schedule is.A pacer’s primary job is to help inexperienced and slower runners complete their race.

No matter why you began or where you are now, running continues to help each and every one of us become a better person and hold us accountable each and every day. Not only will you gain strength, lose weight and increase your fitness as you continue running, you’ll also gain perspective, patience, mental strength, willpower, grit and gratitude. This sport has as many mental benefits as it does physical. It helps us see our progress, discover what sets us up for success, find motivation from within, and encourages us to create new goals. It is a unique sport that challenges us to compete against ourselves. I enjoy it because whether you progress through life thinking only about yourself, or are regularly scheduling time to self-reflect, running will make you a better person.

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