racing handicaps?

[Heather!]

so for the first time ever i ran a "race" where they had a handicap system... so the slower people started first and then they kinda worked backwards so the fastest people started last, all based on your estimated pace. a guy working there was like "it's so we can all finish together". a) it's not sex. b) doesn't that completely defeat the purpose of a race?

i gotta say, i had a good time and in the end it didnt' really matter... it just seemed rather counterproductive.

[Andrew Chandler]

Hmmmm... sounds a bit like they were trying to keep the course open as little as possible. Like there was a time limit on the use of the course.

I see another huge problem with that issue. That might be a good idea for smaller (We're talking 500 or less people) races. But the problem inherent with that is that. Log-jam. What happens when someone stops in the middle of the road to tie their shoe during a race? Problems. Most of the time, the slower runners have no concept of racing ettiquite. They do not know how pass or be passed. That's a huge problem and can create an accident. I'm gonna say, that's a dumb idea. Its a bear trying to deal with the first 3 miles of a race when you've trying to pass by people who seeded themselves too far forward. To spend a whole race doing that. Its actually not a good thing.

[Parker]

How wide was the course? Because I agree about the problems with having to spend the entire race passing slower people.

Of course everyone finishes at the same time, when the slower people are backing up the race.

[Heather!]

the course was on a very wide dirt road and it was small so it actually provided no problem... i just thought it was a dumb idea.

[Parker]

Eh... ok. I had a bad experience once in a race with a very narrow road, and a lot of people who thought it was cool to start out in the front, and then take their sweet time, or in one case, immediately start walking. It was a 10 miler, and I spent the first 2.5 miles trying to get around people, so your description reminded me of that.

I've never heard of this, by the way, sounds weird.

[Dustin McCallum]

Iv only seen that once where the slower started before the faster and that was in a 15K. Though it was really they just let the walkers go before the runners and i think they got a 10 minuteish head start.

[runninwild]

I just recently ran a race that also included a 1-miler for kids and they had the kids start after we started (very soon after), which makes no sense at all. Kids were sprinting in and out of runners and I was almost tripped by one that ran directly in front of me. It was crazy. Don't know what the logic was behind that decision.

[Heather!]

that would have pissed me off. there's a race that i'm doing in november and the 5k and 10k run different courses that end up coming together like half a mile before the end... so all these kids and parents with dogs and strollers are all of a sudden on the course and last year a mom with a stroller AND a dog got out in front of me and the dog went off to the side and i almost got clotheslined by the damn leash. race directors are dumb.