Foot-Race Mercenary: How to Place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a Division

A foot-race mercenary knows how to place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a division of a marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K, or other race. Do you?

Getting to stand on a podium in one’s division is fun. I know. I finally got to do this a few weeks ago for the first time in my life. It was a 5K, and I came in third in my division (sex + age group).

The 1st-place winner ran the 5K in 19:13. The 2nd-place winner ran it in 21:45. I finished well behind him by running it in 30:19. Still, I was well ahead of the 4th-place man in my division, who ran it in 38:34.

This experience got me to wondering how to increase the likelihood of getting to stand on a podium. Here are some factors that may raise or lower that likelihood.

Age of the Race

You may have a better chance in a new race. Then again, you must consider the…

Visibility of the Race

If organizers promote the heck out of a new race, then you may get too much competition in your division. On a macro scale, you should consider…

Distance, Location, and Date of the Race

Perfect weather for a short race may not be perfect weather for a long race. For example, many 5K racers prefer warmer weather than marathon racers prefer. Location and date affect weather, but these also can affect the…

Size of the Race

A small race increases your chance of getting 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your division. But, what matters even more is the…

Division Popularity of the Race

Races don’t draw uniform participation across all divisions. For example, 5K races tend to draw younger crowds. In contrast, a marathon on New Year’s Day, such as the Texas Marathon, tends to attract an older crowd. (Most twenty- and thirty-somethings don’t want to go to bed early on New Year’s Eve.) The popularity of a division also comes from the…

Width of the Division

Early foot races had one winner. This grew to a 1st-place winner, a 2nd-place winner, and a 3rd-place winner. This expanded to separate sections for males and females. These grew to a “masters” division (e.g., for those 40 and over). Now, though, you can find many races with many age groups for each sex, such as “9 and under” and “80 and over”.
[Tweet “You most likely would win your division, if others of your sex had to be EXACTLY your age.”]
Five-year-wide divisions are popular, but they create more work for organizers. My 3rd-place 5K had five-year-wide divisions. But, I ran a 5K two days ago that had ten-year-wide divisions. This points to another factor. You must consider…

Your Age Position within the Division

Most people dread hitting age milestones, such as turning 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70. Foot-racers become starry-eyed and smile when they ponder hitting one of these ages. They know that this can make them the youngest person in the next division, which is a great place to be. Knowing many runners and walkers in their 70s, I expect to see more races with “80+” divisions.

What can tell you the most, though, is…

Competition Research

Investigate a race that you considering. If it is new, then you may have to look at neighboring races.

Otherwise, look at place-winning chip-times in your division for the past several years. Are those chip-times consistent? Or, is there a trend toward faster chip-times as the race has matured?

Also, look at the ages of last year’s place-winners in the division one age-group younger. Are any of them aging into your division this year? And, have they competed in this race often? Are they one-hit wonders, or are they podium regulars?

Baby Steps

One of my favorite movies is What about Bob?, in which a psychotherapist tells his client to take baby steps. If what I wrote intrigues you, then you could take baby steps to becoming a foot-race mercenary. Start with the first factor that I listed (age of the race), and go from there.

Closing Advice

Enjoy improving your chip-times as an end in itself. Don’t obsess over reaching the podium. But, if your chip-times are putting you closer to it, then consider these factors. There’s nothing wrong with improving your chip-time AND standing on a podium as a result. In fact, it can be a LOT of fun!

What Say You?

Have you ever schemed to reach your division podium? What did you do? How did it work out? Share with your fellow readers by posting a comment here!