Preface

Some people like to pursue good results, while some runners are willing to give up the chance of a personal best (PB) to lead everyone to complete the race more comfortably. Obviously, pacers belong to the latter group.

The Day Before the Race

For this Shaoguan Half Marathon, I had a group of friends and family coming to cheer me on, so I booked a hotel in advance, arranged the itinerary, and prepared for a day off.

Moreover, I heard that Li Zicheng would be coming to Shaoguan this time, so I set off early to Shaoguan. Firstly, to meet Li Zicheng, and secondly, for a large-scale meet-up with online friends (pacers' meet-up).

I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for a few days before the race. As soon as I got off the train in Shaoguan, I found it a bit cold. I went to the hotel to drop off my things, had lunch, and then rushed to the expo site. After picking up my gear, I started gathering with the other pacers, and Li Zicheng also arrived as scheduled.

After the pacers' dinner in the evening, we each went back to our hotels to pack our things. Amidst the busyness, I managed to have Pacer Mu, who had a camera, take a portrait photo for me. The clothes were borrowed from another pacer, Yong'an (the black clothes matched well with the white background).

Pre-Race Gathering

The pacers gathered promptly at 6 AM in the hotel lobby. Looking at the weather outside, it was clear that it was going to be a rainy race. Many pacers had already put on disposable raincoats and hats. Among the pacers, there was a pair of twin sisters who both liked running and became pacers in the same group. It was indeed an interesting sight.

A group of people working together to achieve something (leading more runners to complete the race) gives a really cool feeling of 'since we have chosen the distant place, we only care about the journey through wind and rain.'

At the check-in point, some pacers stored their bags, but I had all my gear with me. Because it was cold and rainy, I chose to wear long tights and long sleeves. After using the restroom, I immediately found my friends and family for a group photo.

The support of friends and family is always the greatest motivation for running a marathon.

During the Race

As the race started with the gunshot, I immediately looked for the other two 2:15 pacers, Yang Xue and Wenlong. Yang Xue is an old partner; we had run two races together as official pacers before, and this was our third time partnering.

Since it was still raining, Yang Xue carried an umbrella, and Wenlong helped hold it. Watching them run with the umbrella, I felt it was a bit romantic, and even wondered if I should quietly run away (just kidding, we are all good running buddies and friends).

Two of our running group members, Shixu and Zeng Chao, also ran with us. They even brought along some girls they had met, and I want to thank them for their trust. They also took turns running ahead to take photos of us.

After starting the run, Yang Xue, Wenlong, and I maintained a steady pace. Because the weather was bad and some sections of the road were narrow, and since the 2:15 half marathon pace is quite popular, there were many runners with us. We didn't run side by side; Yang Xue and Wenlong were in front, and I was about a meter behind them.

Having been an official pacer for the 2:15 half marathon a few times, I was relatively stable in controlling the pace. We checked the time every kilometer, and the discrepancies were not significant. Even if there was a discrepancy, we didn't rush to make up the time in the next kilometer but ran steadily.

For example, if the total time was off by 20 seconds, we would make up four to five seconds per kilometer, taking four to five kilometers to make up the time difference, rather than making up the 20 seconds in the next kilometer.

Since there was a slight discrepancy between the watch and the kilometer markers on the road, we only followed the road markers and the total time for pace control, which was more accurate. We also checked the time difference every 5 kilometers.

When we encountered some wheelchair athletes during the race, we cheered them on. On some uphill sections, we saw runners helping to push wheelchair athletes up the slope.

We also encountered a couple during the race. The girl seemed a bit hypothermic, and her boyfriend held her hand and encouraged her. At that moment, it didn't feel like we were being fed dog food; it felt more like warmth.

After passing the 10-kilometer mark, the rain had mostly stopped. I tore off my disposable raincoat and handed it to a volunteer. Without the raincoat, I felt much lighter. Checking the distance and pace, I felt increasingly stable, and the half marathon was easier to control compared to the full marathon.

As we approached the finish line, the men split up. Yang Xue ran to the right, and Wenlong, a few other running group members, and I ran to the left. We crossed the finish line almost exactly at the 2:15 mark.

Post-Race

After taking photos post-race, I immediately reported my safety to my friends and family and drank some ginger tea.

The weather is uncontrollable. What we can do is to strengthen our abilities in normal times so that even in bad weather, we can achieve our goals smoothly, rather than using the weather as an excuse.

If you don't mind, let's run together next time, no matter the wind or rain.