Male pacers banned from road racing?

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Breaking news today in the women's road racing world- male pacers are banned.

Check out THIS ARTICLE from the NY Times.

A professor of mine once asked the class if his rules for writing were fair. We sat there looking at him. I figured that life isn't fair, so it really doesn't matter whether his requests were fair or not. He stated, "yes, they are fair because I am giving the same qualifications and rules to everyone so everyone has an equal shot at doing it right".

Is this move by the IAAF fair? Using my professors' definition, it seems as though it is...

I have to cringe a little when admitting that this might be fair.  In my opinion, depsite whether it is "fair" or not, this move may be holding women back from their potential. But, understanding both perspectives is important. Plus, I cannot stand for the thought that taking away men will take away the possibility for women to run super fast. WE CAN RUN FAST WITHOUT THEM.

How is it fair? Well, technically (and according to the definiton my prof gave us all) women do have an equal shot as men to run fast because they still have the right to a pacer. The IAAF never said that pacers cannot be used for women, they just said that male pacers can't. If you aren't familiar with distance running, I'll tell you- I have only seem a female pacer maybe twice through all of the races I have competed in or watched. In college, I remember watching the men prepare to qualify for the natioanl meet. First, an athlete would approach their competition and figure out where the other was planning to run fast. Then, they would find their pacer, usually a teammate of one of the athletes. The race would start, the pacer fell off after the number of laps that was discussed, and the race finished, usually with a fast time. Why was it that I NEVER saw that in female collegiate distance running? (sidenote: it may have been more popular in DI female athletics, but from my experience it's still rare). Or, even better, why is it that I don't see that in many pacers in the women's races of the Diamond League?

In professional races, pacers get paid. From what I hear, it's pretty decent money. Many of the pacers are people who are past their prime, or  were never going to make it to the Olympics again but want to stay involved and get paid to be in the community that they love. Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. So why are the men the only ones that are benefiting from this career? Instead of seeming dependent on men, how about we get some females out there making money and helping fellow female's run fast?

So, could it be that this is actually helping female distance running bridge the gap. It is challenging female athletes to grow closer to one another, and help each other out, providing our own culture. I am confident that women have the skills to be pacers for road races. Let's prove it! Hopefully, some women out there will be paid for their services in the racing world as well. Hell, I'll do it!!

What do you think?

Do you see any of this as being good for the sport of women's distance running, or do you see this as holding women back? Will Paula's record (the 2:15 marathon time that is now officially the World Record) will stick or do women, without the help of men, have a shot at clipping off time?

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There are 5 comments on this post. Join the discussion!

anngaff says:

I think anyone should be allowed to have a pacer, even if it's a car. You still have to run the time. It's a psychological advantage, not a physical advantage, unless the car is blocking the wind, which other runners - male or female - might do anyway. And how do we police this? What if a woman is in a men's race and happens to run the majority of it with a guy but it wasn't a planned pacer?

Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:06pm EDT

stephaniemp says:

I see your point with the car. In cycling, there are cars around the racers the entire way (for the tours). In road racing, the front car does give advantage to the lead runner. I guess this will force road races to have two different races: one for men, one for women. That way the lead car will not only benefit the man leading the race, but both the female and male lead runners. That is the only way this will work and if the IAAF wants this, race directors will have to comply in this way (or think of something else to make this completely equal).

Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:17pm EDT

LHiggs says:

Post-collegiately, on the track, women's races have rabbits as frequently as the men's races. Also, often rabbits are athletes who have agreed to double back after a prior race. In races like the Diamond League, the rabbits are exclusively participating in just that race. The issue isn't that they are excluding records that are paced by men. The issue is more that by virtue of this rule, they are excluding all records that were achieved in multi-gender races (almost all road races), and doing so retroactively, meaning that when Paula ran 2:15, she was following the rules. She could not have predicted that several years down the line, the IAAF would find a way to strip her of her completely legitimate (at the time) World Record.

Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:38pm EDT

stephaniemp says:

Lesley, I agree with the points about Paula. That is without a doubt unfair. I'm not sure how they could reason something like that, but I hope somehow she'll get her record back.

Also,I clearly haven't been aware of the female pacers in these pro races. I'm not sure if it's because they don't get as much exposure or I'm oblivious, but for any matter- my point about pacers in pro races is incorrect. Do you know if they get paid too?

I still believe that women are capable of running world class times with only female pacers.

Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:46pm EDT

LHiggs says:

Yeah, the women rabbits get paid, hopefully as much as the men. I am guessing it depends on their agents/coaches or their own ability to negotiate. I had a rabbit in almost every non-championship non-steeple race I ran this year (we had a rabbit in one steeple). I rabbitted 3 races and got paid every time. It has become pretty normal.

Friday, September 23, 2011 at 8:40am EDT

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