Seriously?
Why do people who are going to finish in 27 minutes sprint out the gates like that........?
Seriously?
Why do people who are going to finish in 27 minutes sprint out the gates like that........?
I can only run a 5K in around 18:40ish but I start out fast (around that speed) so I don't have swerve in and out of traffic needlessly.
Probably because of excitement and because it's fun. That's not sprinting anyway.
I run a turkey trot 10k every year. Every year a bunch of school children run the first quarter in 60-75, its an all out sprint for them. I find myself in about 25th place at the half mile, but every year I'm in top 5. Running isn't taught in pe in schools like it should be. So many people think running sucks because their only experience of it is sprinting hard and dying then having to keep going for another 2-5 miles.
Edward Teach wrote:
I run a turkey trot 10k every year. Every year a bunch of school children run the first quarter in 60-75, its an all out sprint for them. I find myself in about 25th place at the half mile, but every year I'm in top 5. Running isn't taught in pe in schools like it should be. So many people think running sucks because their only experience of it is sprinting hard and dying then having to keep going for another 2-5 miles.
Our middle school PE staff has two past T&F runners. We have XC and TF teams. We run a PE turkey trot race and have a PE track meet during the year, all in PE class. In PE, we break kids up into one of three conditioning zones based on PRs. For that, we practice and emphasize pacing, not going too fast too soon. We make them run 14 min pace, 12 min pace, 10 min pace, 8 and 6... We do all sorts of stuff like this in PE and also after school sports. It takes them a long time to get it, some never get it, some sort of get it. Even the top runners don't have this down. Now our school community, the area we live in... Has no running culture. Very few families run. Very few kids come to us in good cardio shape... So I can say our staff has impacted all that for the better.... Anyhow, it's the middle school (and younger) mind. Their brains are still developing. What they know is running means running fast. They have little innate ability to pace, and learn it slowly.
Why adults do this? IDK, maybe they are newbies, excitement, others around them going fast pulls them. Why do elites do this? Too avoid traffic.
I won a 5k in Alabama once like that, when I was 54.
It was about 93f and humid. I remember counting how far back I was after half a mile, and think it was about 20th.
Nearly all of them had died off before the mile, and I ended up winning in just outside 18 mins.
When I ran steeplechase in England, I won several races where I was a detached last after the first lap, and people fell apart.
There really is nothing better than properly pacing and blowing by people the last mile+ of a race. I actually feel fast even though I'm probably running 1:30+ slower than an elite would in the same race!
Because it allows all of them to say, "I was up there for awhile, right with the leaders, but then I faded a bit."
And they aren't lying.
Cause everyone loves a front runner. You just want to suck off their pace? Pre would be disgusted with you.
Isn't this forum usually dedicated to complaining about hobby joggers who are uncompetitive? Isn't it great that these mid-pack runners had a competitive fire, even if they haven't learned how to pace themselves yet?
I run a lot of 5Ks, and I rarely see this. But why not? They'll learn. I mostly see kids do this, and young kids still really find running fun. It's cool to see.
I remember in high school cross country I used to hate the early race sprint for placement. One of the things I like about local 5Ks is that you *don't* have to sprint at the beginning.
SleepWalker wrote:
Why do people who are going to finish in 27 minutes sprint out the gates like that........?
Every time I see a local trot with some kids and bros starting out fast, I know that some "serious" running loser will be posting later in the day to whine about how everyone goes out to fast an he passed them all on the way to his glorious top-10 finish.
Also, nobody ending up in 27:xx is running the first quarter of a 5k in 1:17. Maybe the first 100 in 19 but that is not even comparable.
Seriously mate? wrote:
There really is nothing better than properly pacing and blowing by people the last mile+ of a race. I actually feel fast even though I'm probably running 1:30+ slower than an elite would in the same race!
One of the best feelings in a race is blowing by someone like they're standing still because they took it out way too hard and died. It makes me feel superior, both physically and mentally. They glance at you as you pass and cannot put up any fight at all. Totally defeated.
5K pace feels super slow when you are still fresh.
Most of us are aware enough of our own fitness levels that we can say "I need to keep my first mile at X even though I'll feel like I'm jogging." Most other people in your local 5K don't have that amount of experience.
I was an 800m guy in high school. When I started doing local road races, it took me some time to get used to getting out at what felt like such an easy pace. I never had a 27 minute crash and burn, but I had my share of 17:XX 5Ks that started with 5 flat first miles.
That's nowhere near sprinting.
I wouldn't call 38 second 200 pace sprinting haha
just for the record, 5:10 mile pace should not be sprinting for anyone over the age of 12 and anyone who weighs under 250 pounds.
This is very often the case in the big 5K races I run too. I am an old woman who never could sprint anyway and certainly can't anymore, but I do find it frustrating to have to weave my way through crowds of many dozens of people who are going to end up finishing minutes behind me. Many of these people are kids who can be excused for not knowing what they're doing, but not all of them.
It isn't always the case, though. A year ago I found myself, about 1K into a 5K, running with three very young-looking boys who seemed to have some idea of what they were doing. Their pace was not as steady as mine so I would first pass them and then have them pass me, but overall they were maintaining about the same pace. I entered the finishing straight right with them and two of them outsprinted me easily to the finish. They turned out to be aged 8, 9, and 10. Nice running for kids.
post betterer wrote:
Also, nobody ending up in 27:xx is running the first quarter of a 5k in 1:17. Maybe the first 100 in 19 but that is not even comparable.
You've never seen a 11 or 12 year old kid do that? They can hold pace much longer than the first 100 before they jog walk the last couple miles.
Kids may be able to hang on for a full mile, but most adults over 30 forget it. At 52 I usually pass some HS kids about halfway into a 5k, and I may be going at about 5:55 pace.
I agree it's great to pass people in the 2nd half of a race. I feel like I've done decent when I've passed some people and nobody has passed me since the first mile.