Races contract with them to find pacers. The races have determined that the service is worth the price so she is clearly not getting rich or some volunteer would stand up and take it on for the race.
Races contract with them to find pacers. The races have determined that the service is worth the price so she is clearly not getting rich or some volunteer would stand up and take it on for the race.
These types of businesses are towing a very fine line regarding labor laws. I'm not really sure how they get away with it..
What if I tripped and fell and broke my back while pacing for Beast - would they then consider me an employee and be required to pay for my injury? It seems like there are so many weird loop holes in these weird volunteer scenarios.
Sorry to hear that. There was something similar going on my area, where there was a fellow who'd recruit pace setters for various races in town, 13.1s and 26.2s mostly, and the "pay" was a comped race entry. It was later found out that the guy who was recruiting these runners was in fact getting money from the event organizers, which he was pocketing.
Brianruns10 wrote:
Sorry to hear that. There was something similar going on my area, where there was a fellow who'd recruit pace setters for various races in town, 13.1s and 26.2s mostly, and the "pay" was a comped race entry. It was later found out that the guy who was recuiting these runners was in fact getting money from the event organizers, which he was pocketing.
Sorry to hear what?? What am I missing here? The OP has done this 65 times and he (or she @ 120lbs.) just now had an epiphany? I don't think so....
To add a story about Beast Pacing specifically. I have a friend who paced for them all the time. On one occasion she decided to pace for a different company. The owner of Beast Pacing got very publicly pissed. She posted on social media sites that my friend was an awful person for pacing for her rival and that people should exclude my friend from various events for being "disloyal".
I paced for them once myself and decided free entry to a race wasn't worth the hassle they put you through.
Some people definitely like the free race fees and don't mind the system, but in light of what other people have said here, this seems illegal
I've never understood pacing further down the field.
Elites only use them because these would otherwise sliw, drafting etc.
In big races further down the field there is always someone to run with. Half the hobbyjoggers have Garmin's etc Mike markers ertc and plenty to draft behind.
All these pacers could be running their own race instead of jogging round to pace others.
I don't get it.
Righty Lefty wrote:
To add a story about Beast Pacing specifically. I have a friend who paced for them all the time. On one occasion she decided to pace for a different company. The owner of Beast Pacing got very publicly pissed. She posted on social media sites that my friend was an awful person for pacing for her rival and that people should exclude my friend from various events for being "disloyal".
I paced for them once myself and decided free entry to a race wasn't worth the hassle they put you through.
Some people definitely like the free race fees and don't mind the system, but in light of what other people have said here, this seems illegal
This further hits on things - WHY would she be mad if they weren't employees? Lol - they aren't getting paid, so why should she/they care.
This would be reasonable .
Day Pay $400.00
Prep ( the month of running to be in shape to pace 26.2 ) $1550.00
New Shoes - $175
1 Night Hotel Stay plus meal - $500.00
Travel cost $00.47 per mile driving .
Looking at minimum $ $2700 plus travel cost , for pacing duties minimum.
This should be your bottom line , if they say no, then you say no.
At a lot of small Marathons, this would be a better payday then 2nd place.
You've been willing to do this labor for free, that's why you haven't been paid for it.
Ask her for payment for your next race. If she says "no" because there are 10 other people who will replace you for free, then that's that. If she can't replace you so easily, maybe she will offer to pay you.
That's how voluntary trade works.
He's paced 65 of these races for no pay!! he's suddenly going to go from zero dollars to $2000 on his 66th marathon?
OP
Yes,
A few years ago, I was asked to be a "Coach" for TNT. I was going to go to Vegas, get to take my wife, run with some people slightly slower than my normal pace. It seemed too good. then it was. I was later told, I would need to do a fundraiser to raise my travel fee. I was then told, not only was I expected to run with my group, but then circle back to every group slower. I was also later told I would be expected to pay for my own meals. So, in the end, I was expected to use my own money to coach 20-30 people for TNT.
I was wise enough to say no thank you before it was too late.
ukathleticscoach wrote:
I've never understood pacing further down the field.
Elites only use them because these would otherwise sliw, drafting etc.
In big races further down the field there is always someone to run with. Half the hobbyjoggers have Garmin's etc Mike markers ertc and plenty to draft behind.
All these pacers could be running their own race instead of jogging round to pace others.
I don't get it.
You don't get it because you actually think about your running and how to get better at it.
Most hobby joggers run 3-4 times per week, maybe follow a plan from RW and then rock up to their next race hoping to get a PB or break a significant milestone.
I've met runners who've never even thought about the fact that to run a sub-four marathon they need to run 9min/mile. When I've said "that's mile 1 in 9mins, mile 2 at 18-mins, mile 3 at 27 mins ..." - they reply "Oh my god that's far too much maths to be thinking about".
When the going gets tough, they need someone to say "Hang in there, you're doing great and you're looking fabulous". Left to their own devices they'd probably stop at the next water station or walk up a hill.
Basically they put the responsibility for improving their times on someone else.
And the race organisers like to provide pacing all the way down the field because it makes them look like they're open to everybody of all abilities. As opposed to open to everybody who can afford to enter.
Lol I emailed them a while ago asking how much they pay. Not only do they not pay you, but they require you to buy a shirt. A comped race entry is worthless when you have to run half an hour slower than your PR
Clam Evans wrote:
Lol I emailed them a while ago asking how much they pay. Not only do they not pay you, but they require you to buy a shirt. A comped race entry is worthless when you have to run half an hour slower than your PR
I am not getting the free entry part either.
It should be a free entry for a different race not the same one.
If you are not enjoying the pacing for free job, you should not do it. Actually I don't understand why anybody would do that for free.
Hi Team-
We are looking for pacers/alternates for the Hot Chocolate 15k in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 19th, 2019.
Charlotte, North Carolina is:
1 hour 30 minutes southwest of Greensboro, NC
1 hour 50 minutes east of Greenville, SC
2 hours 45 minutes west of Fayetteville, NC
We need to fill the following time slots (minute/mile) and are taking alternates for all other times:
7:30/mile
9:00/mile
9:30/mile
10:30/mile
11:00/mile
11:30/mile
12:00/mile
13:00/mile
15:00/mile
15:00/mile - Sweeper
Please note that we use the same time scale to schedule pacers on 15k’s and other similar race distances as we do in a half marathon. We take the slowest of your last 3 submitted half times and then schedule you 10 minutes back on a half marathon. As an example if the slowest of your last 3 halfs is 1:59, We would schedule you no faster than a 2:10 pacer in a half marathon and no faster than a 10:00/mile in a 15k.
If you are interested in pacing this race please respond to this email. We will schedule you in the fastest possible pace slot based on the information above and will take pacers who have never backed out on a gig and who have purchased their shirts first. If your immediate pace slot is not available we will move you back to the next fastest. If you'd like to decline the slot that we confirm you in please let us know ASAP. If you are confirmed in a time slot slower than you can pace we will move you up if something faster becomes available.
I will respond to all emails by Wednesday, September 19th.
Former Pacer wrote:
I too have paced for Beast. I stopped pacing around 2 years ago, the amount of drama that the owner was able to stir up with other pacing companies, pacers and races was to say the least, pretty unbelievable. She actually bans people who help out other companies pace Lol.
MarathonPacing.com had a provision in their contract for the same thing when I paced Illinois Marathon for them. He actually put you up in a hotel the night before and provided the singlet. It never stopped me from volunteering at a few local races, even though the race directors used to use his services.
I wouldn't do it again though. Didn't like having to be in the corral an hour before the start of the race. I'll shell out the extra couple hundred dollars and just run the race however I feel like.
I always thought of pacers more like interns/volunteers. This is the first time I ever tried to think of them as employees. And you're not succeding in making me do that. I still think pacers who's only in it to get to run the course for free has no right to ask for more fringe benefits than they get.
Why not take the time to learn about organizing a race too, negotiate your pacing duties against days of mentored organizing skill and join the staff the days before and the day after? Like I said above, interns and volunteers.
Ironman basically forces you to volunteer to get early access to registration for the following year, otherwise there is no way you can get into one of their events.
But I might argue that the ultimate 'profit off volunteering' is the blood donor industry. You, Me, and everyone else donate our blood, when the end-user (you, me, and everyone else) pay handsomely for to have this blood. The companies in the middle are making a lot of money off this model. here is one older article describing the profit off of 'volunteers'