Why aren't there more short-distance road races?

There are no short road events because no one would show up. Overwhelmingly, what I've heard from recreational runners is "I'm just getting warmed up at 5k" or something to that effect.

They don't want to run the mile or the 800 meters because... IT HURTS. IT HURTS A LOT!

People think running a marathon is tough, but the pain of running a 5 1/2 hour marathon can be endured because after a while the endorphins kick in and it's a matter of slogging along with a run/walk to finish. Yes, it's tough, but the pain is entirely different from the near-death experience of an all-out mile or 800m. Most recreational runners aren't willing to go that deep.

Case in point, I was injured and sitting out an adult track workout with a successful D1 runner and he remarked, "Ever wonder why these runners can beat you in these workouts, but you beat them in a race?" I replied, "You and I are different. We can handle the pain." He nodded in agreement.

There are a lot of 1K and 2K races tagged onto the 5/10K races in my area.

However, the participation is quite low and there is an expectation that only kids will sign up. Adults can sign up but run the risk of being accused of stealing the glory from the kids. The only adults who can take part and not get hostile stares from the parents are the 60+ group. As a result the winning times are not particularly fast 3:50 per Km will get you into the top ten.

The cities make you pay overtime to the publics works unions, police unions, fire unions which drives the entry fees to unaffordable levels.

I love that idea. I think hobby joggers would do it- they don't have to spend as much time running before the post race party.

I would love to focus on 800/Mile especially as I get older.

It would also be a smaller area to close off and could easily fit in a small area in a park.

Roadrunner honey wrote:

Organizing a mile race is as expensive as a 5k or 10k. Yes the course is shorter but you would need a bunch of races not just one.

I can't imagine that anybody older than 20 would show up there. The reason why 5k and 10k races are successful is because good runners and hobby runners can show up and enjoy it.

One of the most popular races in my area in Upstate NY is a road mile. All ages, even very old people walking.

longer isn't always better wrote:

barista fan wrote:

Because there would be no recognition or admiration for the distances. People wouldn't understand the challenge of running a 1K road race whereas a marathon is seen as amazing.

Isn't that perception something that we can change? Maybe the race shirts, bumper stickers, and other swag should say "I ran a 1K in less time than it took to (insert activity X)".

Yes, to both of you. This whole "you're a rock star" thing because you can complete a marathon bugs me. Most hobby joggers I know have no idea that a 16:00 5K is a lot harder than a 4-5 hour marathon.

Most areas have a park that could accommodate a 1 mile loop type course. It's a much smaller area.

Even on a city street- the course doesn't have to be point to point.

An out and back mile takes up 1/2 mile.

Around a city block could be a lap or two. The contained area could host the post race festivities.

Why wouldn't you just do this on a track to save money?

The cost of having to close roads and get police for traffic control long enough to run multiple heats of 1M would be very expensive.

Maybe if you could do this in a park you could save some cash, but you need a "hook" like a band or alcohol post race, a Beer Mile event, something more than driving across town to race 1M at 7 am.

doping apologist wrote:

How much are you willing to spend to run a mile on a closed course?

I usually pay an entry fee of around $30. Between March and October there are about a dozen road miles within a two-hour drive of my home, plus a few track meets with entry fees. A few of the road miles are within 30 minutes of my home. If organized well and made part of a larger festival, road miles hold greater spectator interest, which makes the race more fun when the route is lined with cheering crowds. One local race with multiple age group heats plus the capstone elite race draws significant TV and print media coverage.

Steve The Addict OFFICIAL -----^^^^^ wrote:

Starno wrote:

I think it's because the bulk of hobby joggers (and so those paying to run 5k/10k local races) are slow, and are not trying to hurt themselves trying to run too fast.

Yep most people just coast along at these road "races." Half the people aren't even aiming for a respectable time. They would never enter a track race because the track exposes people whereas they can essentially hide and be anonymous in a road race. People don't like to expose themselves to potential judgment or criticism so they play it safe and do 5k and up road "races."

They don't want to be seen during the actual race when they're at the back, but they NEED everyone to see their medal after they've finished at the back.

@Steve the dict wrote:

" People don't like to expose themselves to potential judgment or criticism so they play it safe and do 5k and up road "races.""

Yet here you are judging and criticizing them, which disproves your point.

Individual criticism vs group criticism. "Steve the dict is a fat POS" vs. "Letsrun is full of fat POS's"

Raddison wrote:

There are a lot of 1K and 2K races tagged onto the 5/10K races in my area.

However, the participation is quite low and there is an expectation that only kids will sign up. Adults can sign up but run the risk of being accused of stealing the glory from the kids. The only adults who can take part and not get hostile stares from the parents are the 60+ group. As a result the winning times are not particularly fast 3:50 per Km will get you into the top ten.

I forgot about that kind of thing and this brings back memories. Thinking back a long time to when most road races were 10K, it was common to have a 1 or 2 mile "fun run" as part of the event. As you say, it was rare for a competitive runner to race those. I do remember one where one of the masters popped a 10:40 2 mile and I was duly impressed.

runn wrote:

longer isn't always better wrote:

Isn't that perception something that we can change? Maybe the race shirts, bumper stickers, and other swag should say "I ran a 1K in less time than it took to (insert activity X)".

Yes, to both of you. This whole "you're a rock star" thing because you can complete a marathon bugs me. Most hobby joggers I know have no idea that a 16:00 5K is a lot harder than a 4-5 hour marathon.

A 16 minute 5K is not equivalent to a 4-5 hour marathon so it's not a good comparison.

For a hard run 5K you're going to start hurting about halfway though so 8 minutes of pain and maybe 4 minutes "in the well".

For a hard run marathon it's more like an hour of pain (but not nearly as deep in the well).

For the 5 hour marathoner, probably a couple hours of mild to medium discomfort.

A 16 minute 5K is not equivalent to a 4-5 hour marathon so it's not a good comparison.

That wasn't my point. It's social media and people's responses. My example:

If Joe (or Jill) Hobby Jogger runs a 5 hour marathon they'll get all kinds of praise because the ran "far".

If John semi-serious runner runs 16:00 for 5K those people will think it's less of an accomplishment because it's "only" 5K.

You and I understand but most people have no respect for running fast.

Parkruns have pretty much solved everything, other than there not being enough of them in the US.

And it's been said before, but if we HAD regular XC races here and there, and each was a slightly different distance (say 2.4 to 4 or so miles), it would retain enough novelty that it wouldn't be just another 5K.

Stats hurt wrote:

Parkruns have pretty much solved everything, other than there not being enough of them in the US.

And it's been said before, but if we HAD regular XC races here and there, and each was a slightly different distance (say 2.4 to 4 or so miles), it would retain enough novelty that it wouldn't be just another 5K.

What has been solved by park runs? They certainly haven't solved anyone's desire to race a shorter distance like a mile. They are geared toward extremely casual participation and are noncompetitive unless a fast dude decides to time trial it.

Road miles only seem to work when they get big sponsor dollars in order to have elite divisions pull in national/international level competition. A group in my area put together a road mile race series that had points you could accumulate to win prizes at the end of the series. It attracted a fair number of the local elite and club runners. But that was about it. They did not make any money because sponsors want big participant numbers. Also, you really can only have about 30-40 runners in each mile race or else the start can be pretty precarious. People really go at it when they start a road mile.

A road mile would be a very high risk proposition to even break even, much less turn a profit. It would be less risky to have a "party at the track" event... kind of like an all-comers meet. Perhaps you could find 10 runners who really wanted to do it and you could have them market it. Of course, most people will not be totally stoked by a track meet, but at least you wouldn't lose money.

If some charitable organization came to me asking to put on an event downtown, I'd first ask if they could stomach taking a big L, or if they had an incredible sponsor that would act as a backstop. If they had neither, I would not advise attempting it.

Sometimes pieces can fall into place for an event, however. Let's say the mayor of a city thats a suburb right outside downtown is the mayor, and you've become friends. You pitch the idea for a mile, and he or she thinks the idea is incredible. It also matches up with a big objective of city management to attract more people downtown. Through the mayor's connections, you get the permits/fees waived, the police volunteers, and good sponsors for the party (tents, food, drink, and portable restrooms), and the shirts. They also have a team of people that want to work on it with you and promote it - you're mainly the expert advisor. In this case, it could work well, and you might be able to get it established before the city team starts to fall apart. But, obviously, things just have to come together in a way that is challenging to manipulate, but that's how I see a road mile possibly working.

The volume zone in a hobby jogger mile race is something like 6-9 minutes. You can put all runners under 5 min in the first corral. And yes, 8:30 milers starting in the 6:00-6:30 corral would create a serious safety problem.