Do you have a target finishing time for the Maple Grove Half Marathon?  Active Life And Running Club (ALARC) will be offering pace teams led by experienced runners for half marathon finishing times of 1:45, 2:00, and 2:15.  So if you have a goal in mind, let ALARC help you reach it!

Leaders will be running even splits, meaning that every mile will be run at approximately the same pace.  Groups will briefly walk through each water stop.  Participants should plan to use the restroom facilities prior to the race, as groups will not allow extra time.

You don’t need to register for this service, just show up early to the race and look for leaders in bright multi-colored shirts holding signs for the pace they will be running.

Some helpful tips:

• If this is your first half marathon, do multiple practice runs of at least 10 miles to estimate the pace you can maintain for 13.1 miles.
• Allow the ALARC pace leader to be in front of the group for the duration of the race, as the trails on the course get narrow in areas. Please give the leader space and listen to coaching tips and words of motivation.
• Be smart - if you are with a group and find that you simply can’t maintain the pace, recognize this as early as possible and leave the group and run your own comfortable pace.
• Mile 1 will be rather crowded and will probably be the slowest mile. Know that pace groups will speed up to an appropriate pace as the field spreads out.
• The pace groups will aim to finish 1-2 minutes faster than the posted time (2 hour pace group will finish in 1:58 or 1:59).
• Pace group leaders reserve the right to modify the pace for things like weather conditions; leaders also reserve the right to drop out of the race for things like injuries or fatigue.
• If you need to use a restroom during the race and want to stay with the pace group, either run ahead or plan to catch up to the group afterward. Remember, you don’t need to catch up to the group in a mile, there’s plenty of time!

If you have any questions about pacing groups, let us know at info@maplegrovehalfmarathon.com.

There will be no pace groups for the 5K.