Pace bands for the Charleville Half-Marathon...

As per usual with any big race of this size, there are a range of pacers on hand to assist runners achieve their desired target times. What may be slightly different is that there are more time slots than usual with pacers every 10 minutes instead of 15.

What is also a first for a Half-Marathon locally is the use of a 1:20 pacer!

The pacers will run at an even pace for the entire course. They start timing from when they cross the start line, not when the race starts........so it's based on chip time, not clock time.

The purpose of the pacers is run at an even pace and to act as a guide to runners in the race who are trying for a target time. The sole purpose of a pacer is NOT to take a group of people from the start line to the finish line although many people mistakenly think this is the case. The pacers usually run with balloons so as to be highly visible in a bunched field. They are as relevant to someone who might be 50-100 metres behind as someone right alongside them.

It is of course up to individual runners as to whether they run with a pacer or not. The pacers can be particularly useful to newer runners who may not have experience of running over extended distances. A common mistake new people make is that they run too fast early on and are burnt out in  the later stages. Use the pacers as your guide.

On Sunday, each pacing team will also have a member of Kilmallock Cycling Club alongside them so they should be easy to spot. The pacers are largely comprised of members of BMOH and the Eagle AC pacing team.

Online entries close at 3pm on Friday the 21st of September. Otherwise, you can enter at the Charleville Park Hotel on Saturday from 3pm to 9pm or on the morning of the race in St. Josephs Foundation on Bakers Rd., Charleville. Just get there early! The race starts at 10am.