PACE SETTERS
Running Pedigree
Paul , who was elected as a Two Oceans Board Member in November 2019 , started running some 17 years ago . “ My wife was running at the time and I needed to lose a bit of weight , so I decided to join her . I remember my first race was the Foresters 15km on 22 November 2005 . I ran my first half marathon a month later , the Landmarks , finishing in 1:58:42 just after the sub-2-hour bus led by Sean Falconer , then of Runner ’ s World and now the editor of Modern Athlete magazine . That was my first experience of running in a bus with a pace setter .”
Finding that he was running half marathons quite comfortably , Paul eventually decided to move up to marathons , but started having problems with the leg he had injured in a car accident about 30 years ago . His leg was broken in three places , and after experiencing problems while running marathons , he found out that he had a leg length discrepancy , with the one leg 1.4cm shorter than the other . He then started using orthotics in his shoes , experimenting with different shoes and different heights of orthotics to see what worked best . knee op . It was a great success , and since then , I ’ ve been in the process of building up my knee and should again be ready for Oceans this year ,” he says .
Reporting for Duty
Paul first got involved in pace setting through Runner ’ s World magazine with Sean Falconer and Mike Finch . The magazine team organised the pace setters for a few years , but when Runner ’ s World decided to pull out of the pace setting gig , Paul decided to step in . “ I enjoyed pace setting so much , that I decided I was going to keep it going . There was a small group of runners , about 10 of us , that kept pace setting going in the Western Province ,” he says .
“ Over the last few years , it has grown significantly . We now have 50 names in the Western Province Pace Setting group , and this is a good problem to have , because everyone wants to run in the popular races , so they must take turns . I would much rather have that problem , than having too few pace setters . Also , in the
Western Province we have more than 30 races with over 1000 runners participating . When you have so many runners , you should have a pace setter helping as well . Obviously , everybody cannot always pace their favourite races , but that gives ample opportunity for all pace setters .”
Experience and Patience
According to Paul , pace setters should be very experienced runners . “ We look at a minimum of two years , but ideally it should be more than that . We also look at a runner ’ s race history to see if they are regulars at races . It ’ s obviously helpful if you are an experienced runner and know the local routes you will be running on . Also , pace setters are never required to run at their limits . They take a bus that is a bit slower than their normal racing pace ,” he explains .
“ In races over 30km , we try to pair up pace setters , because anybody can have a bad day at the office . In that way , we have more success with our busses and fewer failures . Pace setters can also share the job on the day by taking a break when they need to , without the danger of losing the whole bus altogether .”
He adds that they do as much as they can to ease the new pace setters into the role . “ We ’ ve changed the process slightly . We try to pair someone who wants to be a pace setter with an experienced pace setter , who will then act as a mentor , take them under their wing and guide them . Pace setters of similar speeds are paired up , so that they can show new members the ropes ,” he explains . To make matters easier , Paul wrote a pace setting manual
This balanced him out and was working quite nicely , but due to general wear and tear on his knees , he had to undergo a knee operation in 2019 . However , he waited until he had done his 10th Two Oceans Ultra before going under the knife . “ It was also the 50th Two Oceans anniversary , and it was special to get my permanent number , 5933 that year . After the race , in August 2019 , I went for my
“ Pace setting is about giving back to the sport . It ’ s about sacrificing your race for the benefit of other people .”
69