Pacer Jack

Where are you from?

Toronto, Ontario Canada

Current P.R.

3:45:20

Typical pace

9:00-9:30 mile

Number of marathons

Occupation

Data Integrity Control Administrator

Favorite marathon

Tokyo Marathon

Hobbies

Running, Eating, Basketball and Musicals

Favorite Running Food

Seafood Linguini

What are you reading now?

Daniel’s Running Formula

Who do you train with?

1) Adidas Runners Toronto

2) Nike Runners Toronto

3) Chinese Runners In Toronto

Personal goals

Run 200 lifetime marathons / ultra marathons

A quotation you like…

It’s not the finish line that matters, it’s the courage to start

Why do you run?

It’s a healthy sport and has allowed me to see a lot of different places and met many friends over the years. Runners generally are great people and there’s a strong community with lots of positive energy.

Describe your best marathon memory.

This goes back to 2012. It was my fifth marathon. I had failed the first four times at trying to run a sub 4 hour marathon and I was training throughout the winter to run a sub 4 hour marathon. My training went well and the weather at Toronto Goodlife Marathon was perfect in early May. I had ran a pretty smart race and followed the 3:55 pacer and tried not to get too excited during the race. However, I did hit a wall at mile 23 and slowed down just a tad going to the final stretch. I knew I had a chance to break 4 hours, but it would be close. I was really disappointed to see the 4 hour pacer pass me at the 41KM mark on the course. However, he kept on telling me to not quit and encouraged me to follow him closely and he led me with a very fast pace to the finish. Initially I thought I had it when I crossed the finish line, but it turned out I missed my sub 4 hour marathon by 0.3 seconds. It was a memorable marathon nonetheless and one that I still have fond memories of.

Why do you pace?

I like to help others achieve their goals. It’s more rewarding then achieving my own race goals

Tell us your best pacing experience.

I was pacing the 4:00:00 group at the 2015 Niagara Falls International Marathon. There were a pack of 25 to 30 runners that started with me. Most of the times, only a small number make it to the finish line with me. However, I was very encouraged to see that about 20 of them were still with me at half way mark and a few even went ahead of my group. There were 2 runners that were running their first marathons. We ran as a pack and I tried to tell them to draft behind me when the winds were strong by the Niagara river. By mile 24, we still had more than 10 runners in the group and I sent most of them off at mile 25 to crush their goals. Majority stuck around the finish to thank me and even the handful of guys that had sped up earlier stayed to congratulate me and thank me for a good pacing job. It really opened up my eyes about pacing and wanting to help others, especially when so many succeeded.

Why should someone run in your pace group?

I am an energetic pacer and love to share my experience with those in my group. I do my best to call out our pace at mile markers and give my group a heads up when water or aid stations are approaching. I try to give words of encouragement and little pointers to help them through the final few miles of a tough race.

Any tips for runners about to join your group?

I like to run even splits for the most part. I tend to pace the first half of a marathon about 30s to a minute faster as we all tend to get tired in a long race. That small window of time is often appreciated in the second half of a marathon.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I also love to travel and see different cities and countries.

What philanthropic activities do you have?

I often donate to children charities such as Sick Kids as I believe they are our future. I like to put smiles on less fortunate kids and provide opportunities for them.