Pace Group Information

The 2008 Pace Groups for the Marathon and Half Marathon will be paced by The San Francisco Marathon Pace Team comprised of experienced marathoners who will help you stay on pace to acheive your running goals in 2008!  We will have a wide variety of pace group times including many of the Boston qualifying standards.

How to sign up for a Pace Group
To sign up for a Pace Group simply stop by the Pace Team Booth at the Health and Fitness Expo on August 1st and 2nd OR on race day just look for the Pace Team signs that each pacer will be carrying with the Pace Time on the sign.  Pace Leaders will be assigned to the appropriate wave based on the pace.

PACE TIMES (based on Finish Time)

MARATHON and 1st HALF MARATHON
EFT	EFT (Half Marathon)	WAVE/START TIME	FIRST HALF PACER	SECOND HALF PACER
3:00	1:30	Wave 2/5:31 AM	Ken Burgess	Tony Fong
3:10	1:35	Wave 2/5:31 AM	Jerry Flanagan	Mike Sela
3:20	1:40	Wave 2/5:31 AM	Diane Perun	Jay Ridgeway
3:30	1:45	Wave 3/5:35 AM	Jeff Dankwerth	Jody Littlehales
3:40	1:50	Wave 3/5:35 AM	Mike Kloepfer	Mike Ambrose
3:50	1:55	Wave 4/5:45 AM	Sara Hunt	Bob Smith
4:00	2:00	Wave 5/5:55 AM	Sue Courey	Jeremy Yun
4:15	2:07:30	Wave 6/6:05 AM	Mark Gilligan	Mark Gilligan
4:30	2:15	Wave 7/6:15 AM	Jim Lynch	Jim Lynch
4:45	2:22:30	Wave 8/6:25 AM	Mike Lynch	Mike Lynch
5:00	2:30	Wave 8/6:25 AM	Marie Bartoletti	Marie Bartoletti
5:15	2:37:30	Wave 8/6:25 AM	Eric Scott	Eric Scott
5:30	2:45	Wave 8/6:25 AM	Caroline Wong	Caroline Wong
SECOND HALF MARATHON		PACER
1:30	Wave 1/8:15 AM	Richard Martinez
1:40	Wave 1/8:15 AM	Chris Furgiuele
1:50	Wave 2/8:20 AM	Nick Tuttle
2:00	Wave 3/8:25 AM	Rachel Main
2:10	Wave 3/8:25 AM	Melissa Ownby
2:20	Wave 3/8:25 AM	Eugene Flannery
2:30	Wave 4/8:30 AM	Eunice Ashizawa
2:45	Wave 4/8:30 AM	Cathy Thoni
3:00	Wave 4/8:30 AM	Allen Huang

Pace Team FAQ's
Enjoy all the beautiful sights that our course has to offer and let someone else worry about your time goal!  Run with one of our Pace Groups and enjoy the race.  Our experienced Pacers will do the math and deliver you to the finish line on time.

Below are a few frequently asked questions about pacing, Pace Teams and what will happen on race day.

What is a Pace Group?
A Pace Group is a number of runners working together to achieve a shared time goal.  The group is lead by a Pacer who is experienced in running marathons and running with groups of people. Whether you are trying to set a PR, qualify for another race, or just get across the finish line a Pace Group is the way to go!

Who are the Pacers?
The 2008 Pace Groups for the Marathon and Half Marathon will be paced by The San Francisco Marathon Pace Team.  Our Team is comprised of experienced distance runners who love helping fellow runners realize their goals. Many of our Pacers return year after year to help you enjoy the marathon experience and achieve your running goal. Think of them as your coach-on-the-run!

Do I need to sign up for a Pace Team?
To join a Pace Group simply stop by the Pace Team Booth at the Health and Fitness Expo on August 1st and 2nd OR on race day just look for the Pace Team signs that each Pacer will be carrying with the Pace Time on the sign.  Pace Leaders will be assigned to the appropriate wave based on the pace and you will find them to the back of the coral for their assigned time.

The First Half Marathoners will be paced by the Marathon Pacers.  If you are wanting to finish the first half in 1:30 you will want to line up with the 3:00 marathon pace group. If you want to finish the half in 2:00 you will want to line up with the 4:00 Pace Group.   The Second Half Marathon will have its own Pacers.

What Pace Groups will be offered?
Groups will be lead to finish the 1st half marathon in the following times:
1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 2:00, 2:08, 2:15, 2:23, 2:30, 2:38, 2:45

Groups will be lead to finish the 2nd half marathon in the following times:
1:30, 1:40, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30, 2:45, 3:00

Groups will be lead to finish the Full marathon in the following times:
3:00, 3:10, 3:20, 3:30, 3:40, 3:50, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30

Is there a cost to participate with a pace group?
The Pace Team is sponsored by The San Francisco Marathon and is completely free to you!

What if I sign up and then change my mind about being in a Pace Group?
No worries! Just enjoy your race- we’ll see you out there!

What pace per mile will we run and how do they keep the pace consistent?
We will be running “even effort” which means that every mile will be run at approximately the same pace. The first miles are always a bit slow, due to the crowds. Also, our event has hills and the Pacer may use their discretion in slightly adjusting the pace to account for that. Our goal is to run continually even splits, and when course conditions prevent this, we will make up any lost time over the entirety of the race, not over one or two miles.

Our Pacers are very familiar with pacing and how to keep it consistent. Combined they’ve run hundreds of marathons. (They also use a special watch that will help them to run each mile at a consistent pace, ensuring that their groups make their time goal!)

Are we going to go right out on pace?
Sometimes it is crowded at the start line and may take a couple of miles to settle into a steady pace. Most importantly our Pacers won’t take you out too fast and burn up all your energy early on.

Can I get a Pace Band as well?
Pace Bands will be available to all participants in either half marathon event or the full marathon event whether you choose to run with a Pace Group or not. The Pace Band will note the split mile times so if you should lose the group for some reason (pit stop?) you can help yourself stay on pace. Pace Bands will be available at our Pace Team Booth at the Health and Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday only.

What is the Pacer Seminar about?
This will be a chance to meet your Pacer and find out about his or her strategy for the half or full marathon. Pacers will also be available throughout the Health and Fitness Expo at the Pace Team Booth.

How do I meet up with my Pace Team on race morning?
Our Pacers will line up in each coral based on their finishing times. You should look for the large signs with the goal finishing times printed on them. Pacers will be wearing a yellow singlet and running cap- both of which will be on display at the Pace Team booth during the Expo. The Pacer will be standing towards the back of each corral. Try to meet the group at least fifteen minutes before the start of the race.

Five or Ten minutes before the start, your Pacer will give some “final instructions” which may include pace adjustments due to course congestion, as well as your Pacer’s water-stop strategy. This will also provide a final opportunity to ask any questions before the race starts. Remember: Your Pacer will have many runners in his/her group- it is important that YOU keep an eye on your Pacer as they will not be chasing after or waiting for you.

What will the Pacer do at the water stations?
Most Pacers will run through the water stations and maintain pace. Each Pacer will let the team know his/her strategy for getting through the water stations. Some Pacers may choose to slow down or walk through the stops depending upon the group. Be sure to check with your Pacer if this is extremely important to you so that you are not surprised if they don’t walk these stations.

Will there be walking breaks?
Your pacer will maintain even splits right through the water stops. However, we want you to run your race as you have planned and trained. If you trained with walk breaks, race morning is not the time to make a change. Use the Pacer as a guide and take your walk breaks just as you did in training. Since even splits are maintained throughout the race, you should be able to take walk breaks and still spend time in the presence of your Pacer, as you will continually “meet up” over the course of the race.

Do I have to stay with the Pacer for the entire race?
No. Run your own race and enjoy yourself. If you are feeling great and want to run faster, go for it. If it’s not turning out to be your day slow down.  You can always drop back to the next Pace Group.  Just know that the Pacer will not speed up or slow down for the group but rather stick to the goal pace.

Are the Pacers going to run the entire marathon?
For the marathon there will be two Pacers leading the groups for the 3:00 – 4:00 hour finish times (one pacer for the 1st half of the course, one for the second half of the course).  If you are running in one of the groups with two Pacers, do not worry about having to find the second Pacer.  They will meet up with your group and the two Pacers will run together for a few minutes.  The Pacers for the 4:15 – 5:30 marathon groups will run the entire distance with their groups.  All Half Marathon groups will have one Pacer for the distance.

Finally…
Our Pacers are always happy to share their race strategy prior to the race. You are welcome to meet your Pacer at the Pacer Seminar on Saturday August 2nd. Or, if you have additional questions you may contact our Pace Team coordinator by emailing us at info@runsfm.com.