Race preview: Race Your Pace Half Marathon - Saturday February 18, 2012
Following the success of the 2011 event, which saw over 1,000 runners take part, Runner’s World will once again be providing official pacers for the Race Your Pace Half Marathon in 2012. With the pacing team taking participants through the 13.1 miles on a variety of target paces the event, which takes place on Saturday the 18th February, is the perfect way for all abilities to test out marathon pace in advance of a Spring marathon or successfully run a Half Marathon PB.
With a flat course following the closed-to-traffic, tarmac roads around 2012 Olympic Venue Dorney Lake, the Race Your Pace Half is the perfect event for Marathoners or Half Marathon PB hunters alike. Something that makes the addition of the Runner’s World team even more exciting says John Lunt, MD of organisers Human Race. “We launched this event to give people the opportunity to gain confidence over half distance before attempting a full marathon and it’s great that such an experienced pacing team will be working with us again. The Runner’s World team are the best around.”
Unsurprisingly, Runner’s World Marketing Director Claire Matthews wholeheartedly agrees with John Lunt’s assessment. “The Runner’s World Pace Team is delighted to be once again providing its pacing service at ‘Race Your Pace’. As the UK’s biggest-selling running magazine Runner’s World is perfectly placed to motivate and support runners of all abilities, and to help them achieve those all important race goals. We love nothing more than seeing happy, smiling runners who we’ve helped get to the finish line. If they smash their targets then even better!”
In addition to the Runner’s World pacers, the event will also see Lucozade once again provide on-course nutrition along with advice and guidance to competitors before and after the race. Lucozade Sports Scientist Terri Graham has some advice for participants looking to use the event to prepare for26.2 miles later in the year. “For anyone running a Spring marathon, the Race Your Pace Half Marathon is scheduled at the perfect time to practise pacing and nutrition strategies. And for those running the Virgin London Marathon it’s a great opportunity to trial the Lucozade Sport products that will be available on-course. We will be providing Lucozade Sport Body Fuel on-course at the Race Your Pace half marathon which contains the fluid and electrolytes runners need to stay hydrated along with carbohydrate to top up their energy levels.
“Runners should try to sip water and Lucozade Sport little and often throughout the race and carry a carbo gel or carbohydrate-based snack for an extra energy boost. Putting the right fuel inside your body and having pacers to guide you through the race gives runners the best possible chance to achieve their race day goal,” Graham said.
Also taking place at Dorney Lake on the 18th February is the Pace Your Race Seminar which sees Liz Yelling, International and Olympic runner and Martin Yelling, accomplished coach and long distance runner talk attendees through every aspect of getting their race right. The focus of the seminar will be on improving performance, whatever their goals, and fine tuning training, nutrition and race strategy for the 2012 season. Along with the Race Your Pace Half Marathon the Runner’s World Pacers will be out in force at six key races in 2012. For more details and to find your nearest race go to www.runnersworld.co.uk/pacing.
More information and entry for the Race Your Pace Half Marathon can be found at www.humanrace.co.uk
