Pacers aren’t the Issue at WSER, the Never-ending Increase in Crew Size is

I don’t want to spend too much ink on rehashing the conversation around the question of pacers for elite runners at Western States and the accompanying Golden Ticket races, but, I wanted to post a quick recap and some observations:

• Kilian Jornet kicked this convo off after last year’s WSER when he posted on his blog wondering how much support a racer should be getting and how to level the playing field.
• Jim Walmsley mentioned in interviews and in comments to the PTRA that he thinks that WSER should be run without pacers (again, that’s for the elites competing for the win.)
• On more general terms it’s reasonable to consider a larger conversation on how to unify rules and regulations for a sport that continues to grow toward more professionalization.
• UTMB’s focus and arguments around limits for crew for runners have been rooted in environmental concerns and transportation access challenges.
• These concerns aren’t something that WSER had to address – yet, but if we’ve seen how crew sizes have ballooned over the last few years I wonder when this trend will force WSER’s hand.
• WSER also doesn’t have prize money – yet. So, one could make the argument that the push to professionalize this race via a conversation around pacers seems to be pushing on the wrong lever.
• Of course, it’s absolutely valid to point out and stay committed to the history of the event, the reason on why pacers where initially required/considered/allowed and how this is part of the tradition of this event, and ultra distance races in the US in general.

So, clearly to some this is a hot button issue. In the end not something that can be enforced by public opinion but certainly worth an open and civil debate.

My take

• To make the argument that if you want to call yourself elite and compete for the win at WSER you should be forgoing pacers I find the wrong approach to this conversation. Athletes have proven time and time again that to gain an edge they will resort of every available tool to them. I also don’t think this is a tenable argument that WSER could make. It would split the field between elites and amateurs (even more than it already is) and that is sort go against the spirit of the sport.

The PTRA has raised environmental concerns in regards to UTMB before. Why not use the same approach with WSER? Lobby for a limited and reasonable crew size for each runner. That keeps the playing field the same for every runner.

If a leveling up and professionalization across the biggest races around the world is the goal, why not raise the issue of prize money – and the lack thereof as the main issue for elite runners participating at the biggest American races?

• Of course, any organization imposing limits to how much help a runner can get on course needs to be committed to provide a certain amount of support themselves. A pacer keeps a runner safe, a big crew with ice buckets requires WSER to provide less ice themselves. But, can the monkey be put back in the bag and kiddie pools filled with ice and a team of 20 for each runner be considered over the limit? Will WSER want to take that stand?

But, if WSER chooses to stay conservative in its handling of the inevitable demands that come with the continued growth in our sport what I see is going to happen – and what has already happened in some ways – is that brands with the deepest pockets will distort the competitive landscape and create a spectacle on top of the actual historic event WSER is putting on. And I’d be worried that that I’d loose control of the narrative.

So, my suggestion is, rather than going after the runners and disallow them a pacer, or split the field in elites and amateurs, I would take the route of limiting crew access, number of vehicles deployed per runner, and crew per person per aid station. Maybe that’s not a novel idea, it’s just what UTMB had to do and chose to do in the narrow valleys around Mont Blanc, but maybe taking exactly the same approach here and speaking to it from the same angle – one of environmental concern is the right take to align our global sport and pull into the same direction without rocking the boat too much.