A day in the life of a marathon pace group leader

Ever wonder who those people are who help you set a PR, or score your first Boston Qualifier, or even just get you to the finish line? They are marathon pace group leaders, and each week they help hundreds of runners meet their goal times at races across the country.

Pace group leaders are people who lead a group of runners to finish at a specific marathon time.  You can sign up to run with a pace group at most race expos. It's free, and there's never any pressure to remain with the team throughout the race.

Roger Marquis, a 46-year-old runner from Maine, has run 63 marathons since 2002.  Thirty of them were as a pace group leader.  And according to Marquis, "it's tougher than running your personal best."

Runners are always told to run their own race.  When you're a pace group leader, this isn't an option.  People are counting on you.  There is a lot to think about, and even more to manage.

Marquis is not just the guy with the watch.  When he's not keeping track of the splits, he's grabbing extra cups of water for the group, coaching, cheering, giving advice on nutrition, and talking people through difficult miles.

"I remember one guy at eight miles just sucking wind.  I didn't think he was going to make it," said Marquis about a runner he recently paced.  "I told him not to talk. Conserve. Conserve. Conserve."  Not only did the racer finish, but he met his goal, and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Seventy-five percent of the runners who start with a particular pacer won't go on to finish with the group.  Some will go ahead, and a few are forced to drop back.  It's not usually a problem with the pacer, but with the runner's expectations.  Some people who choose to run with a pace group are pushing themselves to the limit, trying to reach a goal that they aren't yet ready to achieve.  But when they do make it, the rewards are spectacular.  

Last November Marquis paced a large group of runners at the Space Coast Marathon in Florida.  He started out with 25 runners, and according to Marquis, "People were pushing it."  He lost a few over the course of the race, but many made it to the end.  When they crossed the finish line, Marquis was elated. "It reminded me of when I first qualified for Boston.  If felt so cool and so good."

The pay isn't great.  Marquis usually gets free entry, lodging, and sometimes a t-shirt or a pair of shoes. But the look on a runner's face when he or she crosses the finish line on target is priceless. "I can sometimes see them crying when they meet their goal," said Marquis.

Marquis always tries to get his group to the finish on-time, but he is human. "Yes, I have bonked if it's not my day. I'm a pacer but I do have bad days." Still, his success rate is 90 percent. That means that nine times out of ten he leads his group in at their goal time "minus 30 seconds or plus nothing."

On February 28th, 2010, after 62 marathons, Marquis set his own PR in the distance -- a 2:59:19 at the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans.  He spends so much time helping other people, he rarely gets a chance to race for himself.  But Marquis never complains, and is one of the most humble racers I have ever interviewed.

If you're running the St. Louis Marathon on April 11, 2010, keep your eyes open for Roger Marquis.  He'll be the one carrying the sign that says 3:20, helping an entirely new group of runners reach their marathon goal.

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