Choosing your position at the start line of a race

Figuring out where to line up on race day can be tricky.  It’s helpful for everyone if runners self-seed, ie, place themselves according to how fast they expect to run with the fastest runners in the front, and the slowest towards the back.  Many large races have signs to help runners group themselves correctly, or even corrals and different starting times for different pace groups to prevent over-crowding.

I always find it tricky to self-seed correctly at the start line.  I’ve self-seeded over-cautiously at most of my 5ks in the past year and a half, and it’s frustrating to spend the first half mile zig-zagging around people and running on the sidewalk.  Seed too far front, and lots of people have to get around you.  Seed too far back, and you’re trying not to run people over.  Neither is good for you or the runners around you!

I’ve gotten better at figuring out where to start with some experience.  Check out this photo Greg took right near the start line of the Needham New Year’s 5k.  I used the bib numbers in the photo to find the finishing times of runners near me at the starting line, to see how well I self-seeded.  5 of the 7 example runners have finishing times starting with 26 or 27 minutes.  That includes me, leading me to believe we were in a pretty good starting position and that the outliers, a 24 minute and 21 minute finisher, probably should have been further forward.  Perhaps they lined up a little late or a little cautiously and could have been more towards the front.  This isn’t their fault, but deciding that I was closer to average than they were helps me decide whether I should have started further back.  I think I was in about the right starting position, based on the number of runners I felt passed me vs. number I passed during the first half mile.

startline

Greg’s tip: My favorite strategy for choosing a place in the start line is one Greg shared with me.  Look up last year’s results for the same race, and see what percentile you’d be in for finishers if you run your goal pace.  Try to have about the right number of people in front of you and behind you as you would if you finished at your goal pace with the previous year’s runners.  This is a MUCH better strategy than trying to stand near people who look like they run a similar pace.  You can’t tell by looking at someone how long they’ve been running, how they’ve been training, how many waffles they ate for breakfast… It’s much better to gauge what percentage of runners you should have in front of or behind you and just hope for the best.

Looking up last year’s race results is useful because the size of the race, location, how friendly it is to beginners and walkers, etc., can make can make a huge difference in where you should start.

Examples: If a 5k has a walking division with awards, all runners will start further forward percentage wise than they would otherwise.  I start further towards the front in all women’s events than I do in co-ed events.  I have a larger percentage of runners behind me in a 5k than I do in a half marathon.  Half marathons later in the fall when weather can be an issue aren’t as appealing for beginners, and I tend to have fewer people finish behind me.

Why choosing the right starting position is great: Except in the few races that don’t have timing chips on the bibs (the occasional local 5k) you don’t loose those extra seconds it takes you to get to the starting line once the clock starts.  That means that starting further back doesn’t matter, provided the people in front of you are actually running faster than you are so you won’t need to dodge around them.

It can be tempting to start ambitiously far forward so you have a clear path ahead of you, but it’s demoralizing and potentially dangerous to have people flying by you on either side and possibly bumping into you.  The closer you can get to starting near similarly paced runners, the better your racing experience will be.  I find that I’m getting better and better at figuring out where to start, and it makes for much nicer running 🙂

Happy racing!

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9 comments

  1. Hi Kelly,
    Great post. This was really helpful and enlightening even though I’ve run a thousand races! Even seasoned runners learn something new all the time. Every time I seed myself correctly, the time – both actual and experience-wise – is much better. The “problem” is that I usually like to pretend I’m not racing until I line up 🙂 But a little research before-hand helps a ton. This is true for course profile too. I don’t WANT to know the profile but again, the few times I’ve done the research ahead of time, has led to better results.

    Random – what brand of waffle-iron do you have and do you like it? 🙂 I looked up a waffle pan – rather than a separate electric appliance – on Amazon but it is backordered until March! I want one that I can clean easily so the idea of a pan that you can put on the stove was appealing. I also like a thinner waffle – the one you posted of the gingerbread looks like the size I like so I was curious what you use. Thanks!

    1. Hi Amanda! I’m not surprised that seeding is still a challenge even for incredibly experienced runners – it’s hard! And it’s probably even more stressful when you’re closer to the front like you are, because you’re all stampeding at a much faster rate across that start line 🙂 I think it sometimes helps me to know the course profile, but sometimes I’d rather not know because then if I forget a hill, I’m demoralized when I see it. If every hill is a surprise, and I just maintain effort, sometimes that helps me just go with the flow. That said, if I’m looking for a PR, it really helps to strategize. I remember running a 5k with the double stroller hoping to come in under 30, and I KNEW I had to average a minute faster than normal the first mile, normal the second, and just make it through the third because it was a downhill, flat, uphill course. With a jogging stroller the hills are deal-breakers, and I need to know they’re coming!

      The Wafflemaker we have is a Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker. It’s fine, but we haven’t had it long enough to know how resilient it is! Our last wafflemaker that we got as a wedding present finally died, so we got this one pretty recently. I think it makes great waffles and heats back up pretty quickly. It’s as easy to clean as any waffle maker I’ve used… which is, not that easy. I would have preferred not to buy non-stick because I worry about the chemicals, but that’s basically impossible.

      1. Thanks for letting me know which maker you use. I saw that one at William’s Sonoma (or Sur la table… one of those). It seemed like the perfect size but problematic for cleaning (as you said the problem with MOST waffle makers!) I don’t understand why they don’t all have removable plates! I found one that does have the removable plates but it is the thick style waffle and I prefer the one in your picture. I just ordered a waffle pan from a camping store but am waiting to see if it is actually in stock. It’s the same one from Amazon that was showing back-ordered until March. The manufacture website itself doesn’t sell directly to consumers. I’ll keep you posted 🙂

        http://www.amazon.com/Romes-1100-Fashioned-Waffle-Iron/dp/B000BWCTL0

  2. Ooh, that’s a really good tip about looking up last year’s percentages! I tend to do the appearance-based evaluation of those around me, but as you said, that’s not always accurate! (Although, appearance-related based on gear, might be more so than strictly appearance/size – i.e., the walkers are less likely to be wearing a Garmin and probably wearing more layers (in cold races), so easy enough to be accurate in getting in front of them.)

    I really wish the races that are small enough to not do corrals or waves would at least have a few pace signs up for people to position themselves relative to – one of my favorite smaller races is the New Year’s 5k I’ve done for three years now, and because it’s a holiday/kind of a novelty race, it attracts a good chunk of walkers and beginners – but of course they don’t know race etiquette, or where to line up! (And the race itself doesn’t do a good job of announcing/informing about that – if they announced as people were lining up that slower people should stay back, and to stay right during the race, it could help a lot!) But since there aren’t corrals or signs, it’s really hard to judge where you should be even if you’re trying to do it right. (Which reminds me, I need to email the race to suggest pace signs.)

    1. I laughed at your comment about gauging people based on their gear! It’s totally true that you can tell the super fast because they’re the ones in shorts when it’s 12 degrees out 🙂 My pet peeve is when people walk during the first half mile of the race, and they walk side by side! Single profile would really help when runners are trying to get around you, as would starting towards the back! However, really believe that the majority of people are consciously trying to to their best when they choose their starting line position.

  3. For my upcoming second HM, the entry form asked me to predict my finishing time because they were sending us out in waves. The sign-up was several months ago, just after I’d finished my first HM (2:55) and I signed up over-cautiously (3:00). I thought it would be better to be passing other runners than to be passed. Although the race is still about a month away, I probably should have been more confident. Last week I ran 10 miles in 2 hours.

    Unrelated question – when vegan recipes ask for raw cashews, is it okay to use roasted cashews un-salted cashews instead?

    1. Congratulations on your great long run! I’ve had half marathons request my estimated finishing time when I signed up, but then allow everyone to self-seed at the start line based on anticipated finishing time, which might or might not match what you submitted when you registered. (Our bibs weren’t color coded, and we didn’t have specific corrals assigned, we just found our pace group and lined up appropriately.) You may find that you’re not pigeon holed into that starting assignment – sometimes it just helps them to have an idea of how many runners they’ll have in each wave! Regarding the cashews – if you’re making a cashew cream sauce or something where you soak the cashews and then blend them, it helps if they’re not roasted, you’ll get a softer, creamier result. Roasted cashews are fine if you’re putting them on a salad, using them as a crunchy topping for something, etc. I find my unroasted cashews at whole foods – hope that helps!

      1. I think these bibs will be color-coded. Oh well.

        Yes, I was referring to recipes where you soak the cashews. When I made your Kale and Cilantro Mexican Rice (yum!), I hadn’t realized there was such a thing as raw cashews. I want to make the cashew cheese quinoa burritos soon, and I saw that raw cashews were more expensive than roasted (which doesn’t make any sense) so I just wondered if there would be a difference.

        Thanks!!!

  4. I’ve been wanting to find some race timing options, and I think that being able to get some tips would be good. I’m glad you talked about starting position for a race, and how you can look at previous race results. I’m going to have to look into that, and see what the best race times were from each place! Thanks!

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