Clearly he's considered the best one right now, the go-to guy for all the top races for years on end. Hits the splits accurately, doesn't break contact, makes a big draft.
Question is has there been that kind of "pro" pacesetter before?
Clearly he's considered the best one right now, the go-to guy for all the top races for years on end. Hits the splits accurately, doesn't break contact, makes a big draft.
Question is has there been that kind of "pro" pacesetter before?
Andrew Rotich, who also happens to be an ex-friend of Asbel Kiprop.
He's amazing. I'd love to know how much money he makes. I've read (back when running magazines were the only way to get news) that rabbits can make a good living. Som has been around for a while.
runn wrote:
Som has been around for a while.
He turned 39 yesterday!
Matt Scherer
From experience you can make a very good living from pace-making. The numbers that i was aware of in my day were the rabbit would get around the same money as finishing 3rd/4th in the actual race and considering I have run 3.32 to finish 6th/7th you can see why its appealing!! I was often pacing Geb or El G so they were they highlights of the meet so promoters would have a decent budget to make sure the paying public would get a good race/record. Pacing in Zurich for El G you were looking at $10k if you could run 2.46/7 for 1200!!
On a side note i am interested if Bram will go after the M40 record of 1.48.05, as he certainly capable, or just stick to making money!!
TW
One of the original guys to make a career from pacemaking was Martin Keino. Here's a pretty good interview that gives some insights on pay and so on (similar to what Tony said):
https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20820928/martin-keino/
sub4@40 wrote:
From experience you can make a very good living from pace-making. The numbers that i was aware of in my day were the rabbit would get around the same money as finishing 3rd/4th in the actual race and considering I have run 3.32 to finish 6th/7th you can see why its appealing!! I was often pacing Geb or El G so they were they highlights of the meet so promoters would have a decent budget to make sure the paying public would get a good race/record. Pacing in Zurich for El G you were looking at $10k if you could run 2.46/7 for 1200!!
On a side note i am interested if Bram will go after the M40 record of 1.48.05, as he certainly capable, or just stick to making money!!
TW
Dude if you could run ~2.46/7 for 1200 at Zurich you wouldn't be a pacemaker, you'd be challenging ElG for the win and the WR.
Coe was asked about the ideal pacemaker years ago, after the infamous 1981 Stockholm 1500 - you know, deano's spooging favorite - and he said if there was anyone capable of even splitting 2:48 as pace for the 15 they'd be racing for the win, not pacing him. Coe had tons of experience with bad pacemaking when he was in peak form 79-81 and 84 but that race was the worst of all time. Nevertheless, a measured pacer like Som even to the1k would have helped him run 3.28 on that day.
Ovett had the same experience at Hengelo one time with a 52 first lap and we all remember Tom Byers "pacemaking."
BTW William Tanui was a great pacer after he finished his 800m career.
Yomif Kejelcha
It'd be wrong not to mention Daniel Herrera for stateside pacing duties.
Rudisha brought 7 guys to a PR in one race. GOAT.
You mean a rabbit that ran 2.11 for 1k, 3.28 for 1500 and 3.43 mile? Dude you need to educate yourself and watch who paces the 1500 World Record.
1/10
He is certainly making a case... a couple more and he is the G O A T in my book
Hardloper wrote:
Yomif Kejelcha
Sub 4 at 40, was a 3:32 runner, so he’s taking from actual experience. And yeah, you’d need to be a 3:32 guy to pace world record pace for 1200m.
Som is good. He’s smooth, gets out of the way and doesn’t f it up.
He’s a 1:43 800m!
Hardloper wrote Yomif Kejelcha
ha ha yup
SpAArtaQvLVsss wrote:
William Tanui was a great pacer after he finished his 800m career.
someone else wrote:
Matt Scherer
I don't remember Tanui's era much but I bet he wasn't big like Som and Scherer. A big pacemaker sets a big draft. On the other hand, Scherer's low endurance was part of what made Som look so good. He'd be out just after 400 and Som would be slingshotting them down the backstretch to nearly 600m.
It struck me how puny the Ingebrigtsens looked standing next to Som in Dusseldorf. He's a big dude.
Tom Byers - the only rabbit to win a race
https://wjno.iheart.com/content/2018-02-26-tom-byers-the-rabbit-that-got-awayoslo1981/
sub4@40 wrote:
From experience you can make a very good living from pace-making. The numbers that i was aware of in my day were the rabbit would get around the same money as finishing 3rd/4th in the actual race and considering I have run 3.32 to finish 6th/7th you can see why its appealing!! I was often pacing Geb or El G so they were they highlights of the meet so promoters would have a decent budget to make sure the paying public would get a good race/record. Pacing in Zurich for El G you were looking at $10k if you could run 2.46/7 for 1200!!
On a side note i am interested if Bram will go after the M40 record of 1.48.05, as he certainly capable, or just stick to making money!!
TW
Who dat?
Bram Som
43 y/o
NYC Marathon 2023
2:41:18
6:10 pace
RIP: D3 All-American Frank Csorba - who ran 13:56 in March - dead
RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
Running for Bowerman Track Club used to be cool now its embarrassing
Great interview with Steve Cram - says Jakob has no chance of WRs this year
Hats off to my dad. He just ran a 1:42 Half Marathon and turns 75 in 2 months!
2017 World 800 champ Pierre-Ambroise Bosse banned 1 year for whereabouts failures
2024 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion