fbpx
Wikipedia

Pacemaker (running)

A pacemaker or pacesetter, sometimes informally called a rabbit,[1] is a runner who leads a middle- or long-distance running event for the first section to ensure a high speed and to avoid excessive tactical racing. Pacemakers are frequently employed by race organisers for world record attempts with specific instructions for lap times. Some athletes have essentially become professional pacemakers. A competitor who chooses the tactic of leading in order to win is called a front-runner rather than a pacemaker.

Rabbits Abel Kirui, Elijah Keitani and Wilson Kigen pacing Haile Gebrselassie and Charles Kamathi at the Berlin Marathon 2008

Pacemakers may be used to avoid the tactics of deception that are possible in competition by those who, for example, race away from the start line (and are likely to subsequently slow down), giving the other runners the impression that they are far behind. A trusted team of pacemakers who are paid to keep the runners at a speed that they can manage for the rest of the race become useful in such a situation. Pacemakers are also used on world record attempts in order to make sure that the runner knows where their invisible "opponent" predecessor is at that stage of the race. Pacemakers serve the role of conveying tangible information about pacing on the track during a race. Pacemakers may also facilitate drafting.

Pacemakers are also used for amateurs to assist them in reaching personal goals. For example, in a marathon there may be pacemakers for 3 hours, 3:30, 4 hours, etc. Such pace-setters are referred to as a pacing bus or bus in South African races.[2][3]

Flashing lights in the side of tracks set to a specific pace were a recent innovation in 2023.[4]

History edit

 
Pacemaker (on the left) at London Marathon 2014

The use of pacemaking increased after Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway successfully paced Roger Bannister to break the four-minute mile for the first time in 1954.[5][6]

Purists argue that employing pacemakers detracts from the competitive nature of racing. Original rules frowned on a competitor who was not actively trying to win, and pacemakers were required to finish a race for any record to count. This rule was later dropped, though the pacemaker must start with the other competitors as a registered entrant. A lapped competitor may not act as a pacemaker.

Ben Jipcho acted as a pacemaker for Kenyan teammate Kipchoge Keino in the 1968 Olympic men's 1500m, allowing Keino's sustained speed to build up enough of a lead to counteract rival Jim Ryun's fast kick finish. Whereas most pacemakers are shorter-distance runners assisting in a longer-distance record attempt, Jipcho's favoured events were longer than 1500m, and there was no prospect of breaking a record.

The 1500 metres at the Bislett Games in 1981 became part of track folklore when star athletes including Steve Ovett chose not to follow pacemaker Tom Byers but race among themselves. Ovett's last lap was almost 10 seconds faster than Byers's, but Byers, though a pacemaker, held on to win by a few metres.[7] There was a similar case in the 1994 Los Angeles Marathon when veteran marathoner Paul Pilkington was paid to set a fast pace then drop out. When the elite athletes failed to follow his pace, he kept going, ultimately winning US$27,000 and a new Mercedes car,[8] to the surprise of the expected favourites. That year, the L.A. Marathon was the National Championship race, so he also became the United States National Champion. Brazilian Vanderlei De Lima, later the marathon bronze medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics, was a pacemaker at the Reims Marathon in 1994. It was his first competitive marathon, and he was supposed to be a pacemaker up to the 21 km point, but won the race.[9]

During the Berlin Marathon in 2000, Simon Biwott was hired as a pacemaker, but crossed the finish line as the winner.

The rules for pacemakers specify that not more than three of them are dedicated to one group of runners.[10]

In the 2003 Berlin Marathon, Paul Tergat (Kenya) set a new world record with 2:04:55; pacemaker Sammy Korir finished 1 second behind in second place. At 21.5 miles into the run, Korir tried, unsuccessfully, to make a move on Tergat.[11]

In the April 2024 Beijing Half-Marathon, He Jie had his medal revoked when it was discovered, by a special committee, that three pacemakers deliberately slowed down to let him win. The event operators apologized saying they were unaware that one of their sponsors, had hired four pacemakers (one pacemaker did not finish the race). The committee disqualified the operator from hosting the Beijing Half Marathon and banned the sponsor from sponsoring any more races this season. When interviewing one of the pacemakers, they responded, “I was hired to be a pacemaker, not to win the race.”[12]

Pacemakers are also used in horse racing, where in "classic" distance races (over one mile, or eight furlongs) horses that are better at sprint distances (roughly 5-6+12 furlongs) may be entered into major races specifically to set the pace for the top horses from the same stable. On a few occasions, pacemakers have finished ahead of the horses they were setting the pace for, such as when Summoner won the 2001 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and At First Sight running second in the 2010 Epsom Derby ahead of his two more-favoured stablemates.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "RunnerSpeak A Dictionary of Running Jargon and Other Sports Terms". 10k Truth. 1936-07-04. from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
  2. ^ "How do the pacing buses work at big races like the Comrades Marathon". 16 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Want to run with a pace setter / Bus? Here's some advice for the Two Oceans Marathon (And Comrades)". 23 March 2015.
  4. ^ Carter, Kate (28 September 2023). "'When I saw her time, I pinched myself!' – why women's running records are being smashed". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Wermuth, Stefan. . Reuters. Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  6. ^ Butcher, Pat (2004-05-04). "Completely off pace". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  7. ^ "ESPN.com - MORESPORTS - How low can Loroupe go?". www.espn.com.
  8. ^ "This Marathoner No Silly Rabbit - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1994-03-10. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
  9. ^ "VANDERLEI DE LIMA - THE STORY OF A MAN THAT GOES BEYOND ONE STRANGE INCIDENT". IAAF.
  10. ^ Teuffel, Friedhard (2015-09-26). "Die schnellsten Zeitarbeiter der Welt". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  11. ^ Longman, Jere (29 September 2003). "RUNNING; Kenyan Tergat Breaks World Record by 43 Seconds at Berlin Marathon". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  12. ^ Beijing Half-Marathon Winner’s Medal Stripped

External links edit

  • The Story of Tom Byers - The Pacemaker That Beat The Best - Biography on Youtube

pacemaker, running, other, uses, pacer, pacemaker, disambiguation, pacemaker, pacesetter, sometimes, informally, called, rabbit, runner, leads, middle, long, distance, running, event, first, section, ensure, high, speed, avoid, excessive, tactical, racing, pac. For other uses see Pacer and Pacemaker disambiguation A pacemaker or pacesetter sometimes informally called a rabbit 1 is a runner who leads a middle or long distance running event for the first section to ensure a high speed and to avoid excessive tactical racing Pacemakers are frequently employed by race organisers for world record attempts with specific instructions for lap times Some athletes have essentially become professional pacemakers A competitor who chooses the tactic of leading in order to win is called a front runner rather than a pacemaker Rabbits Abel Kirui Elijah Keitani and Wilson Kigen pacing Haile Gebrselassie and Charles Kamathi at the Berlin Marathon 2008 Pacemakers may be used to avoid the tactics of deception that are possible in competition by those who for example race away from the start line and are likely to subsequently slow down giving the other runners the impression that they are far behind A trusted team of pacemakers who are paid to keep the runners at a speed that they can manage for the rest of the race become useful in such a situation Pacemakers are also used on world record attempts in order to make sure that the runner knows where their invisible opponent predecessor is at that stage of the race Pacemakers serve the role of conveying tangible information about pacing on the track during a race Pacemakers may also facilitate drafting Pacemakers are also used for amateurs to assist them in reaching personal goals For example in a marathon there may be pacemakers for 3 hours 3 30 4 hours etc Such pace setters are referred to as a pacing bus or bus in South African races 2 3 Flashing lights in the side of tracks set to a specific pace were a recent innovation in 2023 4 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp Pacemaker on the left at London Marathon 2014 The use of pacemaking increased after Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway successfully paced Roger Bannister to break the four minute mile for the first time in 1954 5 6 Purists argue that employing pacemakers detracts from the competitive nature of racing Original rules frowned on a competitor who was not actively trying to win and pacemakers were required to finish a race for any record to count This rule was later dropped though the pacemaker must start with the other competitors as a registered entrant A lapped competitor may not act as a pacemaker Ben Jipcho acted as a pacemaker for Kenyan teammate Kipchoge Keino in the 1968 Olympic men s 1500m allowing Keino s sustained speed to build up enough of a lead to counteract rival Jim Ryun s fast kick finish Whereas most pacemakers are shorter distance runners assisting in a longer distance record attempt Jipcho s favoured events were longer than 1500m and there was no prospect of breaking a record The 1500 metres at the Bislett Games in 1981 became part of track folklore when star athletes including Steve Ovett chose not to follow pacemaker Tom Byers but race among themselves Ovett s last lap was almost 10 seconds faster than Byers s but Byers though a pacemaker held on to win by a few metres 7 There was a similar case in the 1994 Los Angeles Marathon when veteran marathoner Paul Pilkington was paid to set a fast pace then drop out When the elite athletes failed to follow his pace he kept going ultimately winning US 27 000 and a new Mercedes car 8 to the surprise of the expected favourites That year the L A Marathon was the National Championship race so he also became the United States National Champion Brazilian Vanderlei De Lima later the marathon bronze medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics was a pacemaker at the Reims Marathon in 1994 It was his first competitive marathon and he was supposed to be a pacemaker up to the 21 km point but won the race 9 During the Berlin Marathon in 2000 Simon Biwott was hired as a pacemaker but crossed the finish line as the winner The rules for pacemakers specify that not more than three of them are dedicated to one group of runners 10 In the 2003 Berlin Marathon Paul Tergat Kenya set a new world record with 2 04 55 pacemaker Sammy Korir finished 1 second behind in second place At 21 5 miles into the run Korir tried unsuccessfully to make a move on Tergat 11 In the April 2024 Beijing Half Marathon He Jie had his medal revoked when it was discovered by a special committee that three pacemakers deliberately slowed down to let him win The event operators apologized saying they were unaware that one of their sponsors had hired four pacemakers one pacemaker did not finish the race The committee disqualified the operator from hosting the Beijing Half Marathon and banned the sponsor from sponsoring any more races this season When interviewing one of the pacemakers they responded I was hired to be a pacemaker not to win the race 12 Pacemakers are also used in horse racing where in classic distance races over one mile or eight furlongs horses that are better at sprint distances roughly 5 6 1 2 furlongs may be entered into major races specifically to set the pace for the top horses from the same stable On a few occasions pacemakers have finished ahead of the horses they were setting the pace for such as when Summoner won the 2001 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and At First Sight running second in the 2010 Epsom Derby ahead of his two more favoured stablemates See also editDomestique Pacing strategies in track and fieldReferences edit RunnerSpeak A Dictionary of Running Jargon and Other Sports Terms 10k Truth 1936 07 04 Archived from the original on 2015 02 02 Retrieved 2011 09 27 How do the pacing buses work at big races like the Comrades Marathon 16 April 2014 Want to run with a pace setter Bus Here s some advice for the Two Oceans Marathon And Comrades 23 March 2015 Carter Kate 28 September 2023 When I saw her time I pinched myself why women s running records are being smashed The Guardian Wermuth Stefan Do pacemakers have a place in athletics Reuters Archived from the original on 2009 05 04 Retrieved 2010 04 09 Butcher Pat 2004 05 04 Completely off pace The Guardian Retrieved 2010 04 09 ESPN com MORESPORTS How low can Loroupe go www espn com This Marathoner No Silly Rabbit Los Angeles Times Articles latimes com 1994 03 10 Retrieved 2011 09 27 VANDERLEI DE LIMA THE STORY OF A MAN THAT GOES BEYOND ONE STRANGE INCIDENT IAAF Teuffel Friedhard 2015 09 26 Die schnellsten Zeitarbeiter der Welt Der Tagesspiegel Online in German ISSN 1865 2263 Retrieved 2018 10 01 Longman Jere 29 September 2003 RUNNING Kenyan Tergat Breaks World Record by 43 Seconds at Berlin Marathon The New York Times Retrieved 2018 10 01 Beijing Half Marathon Winner s Medal StrippedExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pacemakers running The Story of Tom Byers The Pacemaker That Beat The Best Biography on Youtube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pacemaker running amp oldid 1223856424, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.