For someone who does not run marathons, I’d ask why a human would be necessary? People could use smartwatches, or there could be waypoint signs. This is a domain specific thing.
Without Googling, did you know what a patternmaker is?
Without Googling, did you know what a patternmaker is?
Unless there is a pacer none of the runners really want to be in front and eating all the aerodynamic drag. So the race slows down. This greatly favours runners with a faster sprint at the end.
You have pacers in most "official" races. Plenty of pacers in 5K's, 10K's, 15Ks, and Halfs. People want to focus on running their time at a constant pace and not having to speed up and slow down every mile.
I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting. I'll google it and edit this post once I confirm it.
Edit: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patternmaker
Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic.
So you confirm that this term is obvious for people who are familiar with races in general. I’m not and don’t even know what units those K’s are in. I’m going to presume kilometers, but who knows.
> I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting
> Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic
The only thing they have in common is textiles. This is as close as saying people who know how to edit HTML/CSS are coders or scriptmonkeys are hackers.
No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace. What that means in context and culture is a different thing.
You are on a social media platform where many people would gladly say that these claims are true.
Anyway I looked it up on wikipedia and my guess still holds up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patternmaker_(clothing)
The only thing I didn't bring up was the software that modern patternmakers might be using, but the core idea is still correct.
>> A patternmaker is a skilled worker who produces patterns on paper or fabric for use in the clothing industry.
> No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace.
Good, so you recognized that there is very little thought required to match "racing" and "pacers"
Especially if you're running at the top end of your pace.
I’m sure you run then, because again I have no idea what you mean by “splits”
Holistically, pacers are just experienced runners that provide even splits over their distance. In a marathon context, running in a group can be quite pleasant and motivating, but there is definitely nothing stopping anyone from just using a GPS watch.
In theory, you can pace yourself with a watch and a map. “Splits” are (distance, time) pairs that correspond to a targeted finish time. For example, if you were targeting a 4:00 finish at an even pace, you’d want to be crossing the halfway point at 2:00.
In practice, it’s mentally much easier to pace yourself off another person. The implicit peer pressure to stay with the pack helps when you might otherwise start to lag behind and helps you resist the temptation to blow up your plan because “you’re feeling good” and want to go for broke.
eg: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/...