Please can anyone who has run organised races advise on this?

[marniemae]

Hi! I did c25k last year and run about 3/4 times a week but im still not really a "runner" it still feels a struggle etc. But I absolutely love it it has changed my life in terms of my mental and physical health. I've done a couple of park runs and signed up to a 10K I did on bank holiday Monday. It was just a local event some people were really fast others weren't. Someone from my village running club was there and I didn't realise till after we finished pretty much the same time and were running near eachother throughout. After I saw her and said did you enjoy it and she said "you ran that race so weird kept stopping and starting and then wierdly sprinting." I must admit i did do that it was torrential rain and in a boggy field some of the puddles you stepped in went up to your knees so i walked some and ran fast for the footpath bits. is that really weird im so self conscious now and dont want to run again i thought you could just do what you want in a race but pleasse can someone tell me the etiquette.

i just looked at the results and we finished just seconds apart she was running consistently the same speed for the whole time i walked some and ran fast some.

i cant stop thinking about looking like an idiot

It’s fine you do you and they do them, I really wouldn’t over think it. Some people do walk/run some run fast some don’t just enjoy it.

You could claim it's a deliberate technique (run-walk genuinely is a running technique -- look up Jeffing).

How odd of her to comment though, unless you were actually tripping her up!

Well she sounds weirdly judgemental for a runner! I’ve done a couple of races and everyone just runs how they want - if you’re doing it properly you shouldn’t even notice anyone else! And the only time I did see anyone pay attention to another runner was when one guy stopped in the final km and everyone going past slowed down, patted him on the back or jogged alongside him for a second and said “come on, you can do it!” until he started running again.

Start/stop and jeffing are normal ways of running. Everyone manages a race their own way! Don’t let it bother you.

There's no such etiquette and she's either rude, very judgmental or just downright odd to comment, IMO.

Doesn't matter a jot whether you ran consistently, ran inconsistently, walked, hopped or crawled, you covered the exact same 10km as her and everyone else.

Thanks so much for the replies I actually been struggling so much with it i know it sounds stupid but I just feel like an idiot and I'm doing it wrong. I definitely don't think I got in her way as it was a huge field we were running in. I'm thinking I did sprint past her at the end but that's because I wanted to get a fast (for me) last km. We came like 400/500 in the whole race so neither of us were quick. I guess it is wierd we were at the same pace throughout even though I was walking running maybe she thought I was following her. I know im overthinking it I just feel that red hot embarassement whenever I think about running now 😆😭

Sounds like someone may be a little bit miffed that you were the same sort of time as her...

If you talk about yourself in these self deprecating terms to her and she DOES consider herself a runner she may not be too happy that she wasn't significantly faster than you

I once raced someone in x country at uni who did exactly that- walked (and I’d gain on her) then she’d sprint off for a while (and I’d be demoralised!). I found out she was a sprinter and she used it as training. People have different strengths, if you prefer bursts it’s fine and you’re mentally and physically benefiting from it.

She was probably annoyed that you walked at times but still finished the same time as her!

I admit I get a bit irrationally annoyed when I overtake someone and they then sprint past me then slow down again. I know I'm being unreasonable though unless it's the annoying woman at parkrun that overtakes me then cuts back in front of me and slows down slowing me down in the process. If you weren't doing this I really wouldn't worry about it. It's her issue not yours!!

Thanks this is a good point i guess I do say I'm not a runner etc all the time because some of my friends are so quick and do such long distances I immediately just think to myself I'm just a jogger and perhaps shouldn't do that especially as she does put so much work in and so do, I it's just because I'm new to it I immediately say I'm a beginner if you know what I mean

For park run I would consistently run the whole thing as it's such a narrow course but because of the weather and terrain I just thought about 3km in I'm just going to do whatever on this run!

It sounds fine. The only reason it might have been a problem would be if you were suddenly slamming on the brakes and making the people behind you have to suddenly stop or swerve. I've seen pile ups happen on trail races when the runner behind hasn't been able to stop in time and the risk then is people get hurt. If you're planning to suddenly slow down, it's best to check behind you first, and ideally also to run to one side of the track.

Assuming you weren't running in a way that was causing other people to have to manoeuvre around you, then she was just being a bit odd.

Thanks! I did think that as well but the course was such an open field I hope that wasn't the case we had so much room right at the back of the pack as well. everyone has been really reassuring so i feel I can get back out there and would definitely make sure I don't do this so appreciate the advice

I was very stop-start when I began running; I think I'd been doing parkrun for a few months and was getting perfectly respectable (sub-30) times before I could do it without walking at all. There would have been a lot of people running much slower who ran the whole thing. I often wondered if they laughed at my regular overtaking then dropping back and wondered why I didn't just go slower but consistently (which is how I swim, incidentally!). I just couldn't!

Keep it up, it's great you're getting so much from it, and in a few months you'll probably be non-stop AND faster!

I do a combination of running or Jeffing depending on how I feel. I took Jeffing up to run a marathon. I've got a good walk on me and run at pretty average paces so late in a race when people begin to run low on power, I'm pretty good on gradually overtaking people running solidly

Off-road, people tend to walk up steep hills or gnarly terrain. Even hardcore club runners will often conserve their energy with walking when there's little advantage to be had by maintaining a running pace.

This runner walks

I was reading about some guy running and winningI think an ultra marathon leg and he said he walked the first 25miles whilst everyone else ran then he didn’t start running until the second section of 20m and he overtook them all because he’d conserved his energy early on. I just thought wow the mental strength to start a long run walking it was fab and it worked for him. By the way you sound like a runner to me so be more positive in your mind If your running your a runner! Enjoy it.

It's very common for people to walk sections on trail races. I did one two years running and was faster when I walked the really hilly sections. Some road runners can be a bit snobbish about walking being 'cheating' but I'd you speak to long distance and trail runners it's considered a good strategy. BTW - if you run you are a runner. And you definitely are.

Thank you so much I appreciate the responses I started running to get out the house a bit and tend to overthink a lot I was so worried there was an etiquette I didn't know about!