i have the same issue with road racing and have been doing the college meets for this reason.
there are a few issues you will encounter. The most frustrating is how the younger guys will race you...because they just can't leave you alone and let you race...you will find that they will surge in the middle of the race (just to keep from looking bad because they are getting beat by an old runner). And once they do, they will cut in right in front of you, cutting you off. And this will happen constantly throughout the race. And then when you look in the results after the race, you will see some of these guys (who were sprinting to pass you in the middle of the race) got lapped! By you!!!!!!!
so you either have to run from the front or the back.
if you go to the lead early - that is tough because once they see the older guy in the race, they are all jacked up and sprint out like crazy. So I never do this one.
If you go to back, which I do....they sprint out right off the line...and I just let them go...wait 1/2 second and then take a clean cut in to the inside lane. As the pace slows, I only pass when I know they are pretty gasses and won't try to repass me. It takes a lot of energy and focus in racing when you have to keep holding off these challenges...so it causes me to go out slower than I want. Pass latter then I want. Or you have to do mini surges thought out the race -which also sucks for pacing.
they don't make it easy. I have wondered if I should just tell them from the start how fast I plan to run and not to worry if they get beat by me...but believe me, this is all that is on their mind. Their whole race is affected by me being in the race, and I don't want it to. I don't want to cause them to run slower. I am there to run fast, and want to help them run fast. I often try to help the collegians, by encouraging them to go with me when I make a move instead of racing against them...this seems to be the best approach. because I have been racing for 4+ years now, they start to get used to you...and if you have helped them in the past, they learn to not take it personally if you beat them.
sometime I even drop out of races because I can tell it is really bothering some of them when I beat them....I get a projection of what my time will be and drop out, this way I am not listed in the results and it saves them the embarrassment of being beat by an old guy. After telling this to my college coach (and this was against some of his guys) he said I should go ahead and finish. I want to and do most of the time, but other times I won't.
it is crazy how much of big deal this is. I would imagine this is no different than when women started road racing and were beating the age group guys - they would sprint up to stay with the elite woman for as long as they could...the problem for masters guys (what makes it worse) is this is on a track, so when they pass you, cut you off, and then slow down you are constantly being bombarded with this crap. Your whole race (in a 1500 or 5000 in a big field) becomes about this - trying to keep from getting cutoff 1,000 times. and it gets frustrating (I just want to yell at them - stop making stupid moves in the middle of the race). and it definitely makes my times slower.
but it is either this or do road races which cost 4X more and you race no one in a charity event which may or may not end up being on a certified course (assuming they haven't mismeasured, mismarked, or had the lead bike go the wrong way). which happens more and more when I live. even the race volunteers don't realize they need to point which direction the runners are to go as they stand at the fork or an unmarked intersection. and of course, everything is now a 5K. there has to be something like 50 5k's to 5
1/2 marathons, and only 1 8k, 1-2 10k's, 1 10-mile, couple 4-mlile races
Road races have to hell.
I was running a 5K about 4-5 years ago on pace to break an American record and knew before the race that I had a shot = so I was trying to make sure I knew exactly where the course went. There was one spot where I was confused - so I looked for a race map - never found one, Looked for the race director to ask, never found one. So the race is underway, I am running in 2nd but the gap is growing. The lead bike turns, the lead runner follows, and I almost missed it, but at the last second I see them, and follow too. I get to the end of the race and am not even close - what happened, how did I lose 30+ seconds? the bike took a wrong turn (at that very spot). Good lord! the only way I discovered this was talking to my cousin after the race, when I told him I almost missed that turn - he says we didn't take that turn. Turns out the whole field after us top 3 (who followed the bike) stayed on the course - went straight. I went back after the race and timed how much that added - it was at least 40 seconds. Nice. This kind of thing has happened many times over the years since at the biggest events.
we just had our big 1/2 marathon of the fall. The race director says the prize money for the race is TBD (and then there is never any update on what decision has been made). Guess what they decided - a race that charges $60, 70, $80 dollar entry fees X several thousand runners? no prize money,
they why don't you just say that from the beginning.
or once that decision is made - make it (public) you have a website!
Road racing has gone to hell locally.