Perspectives on Pacing

Continued perspectives on pacing in ultramarathon trail races.

Earlier this month, Emily Hawgood’s piece on pacers at Western States garnered significant attention and discussion. This reaction is indicative of the conversation going on within the Pro Trail Runners Association as well. There are many perspectives and arguments for and against pacers amongst the elite field at Western States, golden ticket races for Western States, and any race that is going to contribute to a runners ITRA score and influence their standing on the international level.

Below you will find a variety of opinions that is the opinion of that individual athlete and not representative of the PTRA at large.

Caleb Olson and pacer Anthony Costales on route to winning the 2025 Western States Endurance Run. (photo: Jeff Colt)

Jim Walmsley: four time Western States champion (USA)

I don’t think elites at Western States should have pacers. Nobody competitive there needs them. Nowadays, with phones and tech, it can distort the race in a negative way. Professionals, which our sport has now, should be competent at America’s highest level. Figure it out. Also, golden ticket races should forbid pacers for ticket positions. Black Canyon 100k, pacing is embarrassing to allow. You have to make it to Foresthill without a friend anyways.

However, outside of competition and professionalism, the sport is still huge. It’s the American trail spirit to have a pacer and a great gateway to the sport for tons of people. It’s net good for the mass of participants.

Abby Hall: 2025 Western States champion and two time finisher (USA)

I see it as more of a historical/cultural hurdle here in the US.

The first issue to me is separating rules for “pros” vs the rest of the field. To me, having one race experience from the first place to last place finisher is something special about trail running.

Whether that’s the same required gear, the same opportunity for aid, etc. The bigger issue to me (for a race like WSER) is then defining: who is a pro?

There are plenty of people who have demonstrated you can perform at the top level of the sport without a contract or being previously top-ranked. Does it then become a competitive advantage to be part of the “non-pro” field but competing against those following a set of “pro” criteria?

I think it’s important that at a starting line, everyone has the opportunity to go win the race if they’re able to. I also think regional differences in the sport are okay.

Luke Nelson: long time pro, thought leader and race director (USA)

My opinion on pacers is informed by my personal experience running with pacers and as a pacer at the elite level primarily in the United States as well as running without pacers in a handful of races in the US and abroad. From the personal perspective I think the element of having a pacer adds to the experience of the race. This is informed from some of my favorite memories in ultrarunning come from the times I was pacing my friends to the best performances of their careers. The opportunity to have the front row seat to a friend pushing themselves to the highest levels of self and sport is something truly unique and frankly, quite beautiful. I think that unique element of ultrarunning is something that brings deeper connection and community to certain races.

I do understand that there is potential risk of cheating, muling in particular, from a pacer. I also think that simply stopping the elites or pros from having a pacer wouldn’t stop the person without ethics from cheating in some other way. My vote would be to put clear expectations of what pacers can and can’t do for a runner, but not try to outright ban them. … As someone that is in the later stages of their career, it would probably not impact me the same as others and if forced to choose between sharing the experience at a race like Hardrock or Western with a friend vs being on the podium, I’d pick the friend.

There is also the logistical challenge of who does and who doesn’t have pacers. I would wager that many of the folks in [the PTRA] had a breakout performance of sorts, which would be hampered by trying to pre-categorize racers into elite and non-elite (or pro/non-pro) and then restricting the top podium spots, or even the top 20 to only the elites creates a significant discrepancy in the sport. I have thought of this a lot and keep coming back to the analogy of the tail wagging the dog, runners telling event directors how to manage their races. I may be limited in my perspective but I don’t see a pathway to successfully force race directors or races to change the culture of their events to accommodate a relatively small number of elite runners in the event. Elitism is not the same as professionalism and I think elite based rules are counter to the culture we should be striving for. I would much rather see the professionals in the sport raise the bar of acceptable ethics for those who are or strive to be professionals.

Co-signed by pro-trail runner and coach, Stephanie Howe: “I think this is well said- elitism vs professionalism.”

Julia Font: pro trail runner on Golden Trail and SkyRunner series (Spain)

For me, being allowed to run with pacers at Western States is something really cool and super unique to the race. In Europe we’re not used to it and it can feel a bit weird, but in the US it’s totally normal in 100k-and-up ultras. Plus, I think it gives Western States a more “group experience” vibe, letting you share the race with other people and making the whole thing even more special. It’s part of the history of trail running there, and it should stay, as long as the rules are clear for everyone. I really hope they keep allowing pacers at Western, because they add something truly unique to the experience.

Kellie Angel: pro trail runner and Western States finisher (Australia)

We have a few races here in Australia that have introduced pacers with the primary focus being on athlete safety. Eg. recent Grampians Peaks Trail with less than 1m visibility around cliff edges, or other races that are super remote. Both elite and non elite athletes are considered and I am not sure you could separate the fields based on that.

Chris Andrews: pro trail runner chasing a Golden Ticket (USA)

Pacers can help elevate any athlete’s performance with the right synergy, but can sometimes feel like a distraction or even a psychological burden.

I think that the best performances come from the athlete themselves. We have an internal ability to problem solve, self-regulate, and endure situations. I think there’s real competitive value in learning how to access that without relying on another person on course. It’s on the athlete to figure out how to perform at their best without a pacer.

When it comes to races like Western States or golden ticket events, the athletes competing at the elite level already face the same essential challenge: outlasting, outpacing, and out-thinking the field.

Having pacers in those environments introduces a lot of variables, and no pacers or dynamics are the same across different teams. That can complicate the competitive landscape in ways that don’t always feel evenly matched and there’s also argument for athletes who have more experienced pacers getting unfair advantages.

That said, I don’t think pacers are inherently negative. They play a big and meaningful role in many parts of our sport. They’ve helped me and others at the top of the sport achieve the highest standards of performance yet and the next highest, arguably, lies within self-help and foregoing the option of having a pacer.

For non-elite athletes, community- or team- focused races, multi-day efforts, and supported FKTs, or even for elites who aren’t competing, pacers can add safety, connection, and accessibility. Pacers are part of our sport- these are all things that make trail running fun and special.

Camille Herron: world champion and Western States finisher (USA)

If they’re part of ITRA ranking or UTMB series/ranking, the rules should be standardized across all events- just like World Athletics rules applying for federation-sanctioned events.

Jeff Colt: two time Western States finisher and pacer (USA)

When I look at recent Western States competitions, Jim running without a pacer is a bit of a rock-star move stylistically. It’s radical. It makes the statement “I can beat all of the competition without any help.” That said, it’s within the current rules to have a pacer and I think it should be. When I got a golden ticket at Bandera in 2023, the second call I made after speaking with my wife Annie was to call my long time running friend Peter Howe and ask him if he would share this collective dream with me and pace me to the finish. For a race with limited resources and opportunity like Western States, the chance to race is a chance for one’s community to participate and nothing is as special as sharing miles with a best friend or teammate. That same year Peter paced me, Courtney Dauwalter passed us at mile 90 without a pacer and we both reflected “that was a flex.” She won and set the course record. I placed 9th. The real win for me was having that experience with Peter.

In both races that I have secured a golden ticket, I did not elect to use pacers. Primarily because of access to resources, it’s a lot to ask of someone to fly to Texas or to Arizona to pace. For 100km golden ticket races where safety concerns are few, I don’t think pacers should be allowed.

I had the opportunity to pace Jeff Mogavero to a golden ticket at Javelina 100 and to run it back and pace him to his 4th place finish at Western States in 2025. At WS, as much as I want to think I helped Jeff M. get the most out of himself, he was a brick wall the final twenty miles of the race. I tried every trick in the book to get him fired up to beat Kilian but he was in his own world powering along at the pace he was capable of (mind you that was 14:30 pace).