Pacing The ASICS London 10k 2023 — Bethan Taylor-Swaine

The ASICS London 10k was my first race after having my daughter and I remember loving every single minute of it. From the build-up to the atmosphere and the medal it was a really special race and a massive confidence boost on my journey back to running, so it was a real privilege to be back on the course this year as a pacer!

London’s Most Iconic 10k Race

I realised yesterday that every race I’ve run this year has been in Central London and ended in Westminster (read my race recaps from the London Landmarks Half Marathon and London Marathon), and the experience never stops feeling special. There’s something awe-inspiring about running on closed roads past iconic sights with the noise of supporters ringing in your ears. It’s epic.

The ASICS London 10k route is phenomenal. Closed to traffic it’s an amazing opportunity to run through central London past some of the most famous landmarks in the world. Across 10k you’ll take in views of Big Ben, the London Eye, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square before finishing in Whitehall.

Flat and super friendly, the ASICS London 10k is one of my top recommendations for new runners, I can’t think of a better first race experience, to be honest. It’s well organised, the route is amazing, there’s lots of hype and distractions (think DJs, bands, choirs, drums and more), the medal is gorgeous and there are pacers to support everyone whatever their experience.

A Race That Represents London

Something that really stands out about the ASICS London 10k is how diverse it is. ASICS and the race organisers LimeLight seem to have put a real effort into attracting diverse participants and making everyone feel included. More than half of the pacers were women, and there was diversity in terms of age, race and ability. I saw pushchairs, wheelchairs and guide runners on the course and heard some amazing stories from the runners I paced. This was a race that really represented the best of London, it was brilliant to see.

Something else I loved about this race was that it was pace inclusive. Pace inclusivity means considering all running running, no matter how fast or slow. Races that are pace inclusive are designed and staffed in a way that accommodates all paces - so as well as pacers for every ability this means keeping the course open for as long as possible and not pulling down the finish line or packing up water stations before the last runners come in. Pace inclusivity respects that A FINISH IS A FINISH and that all running should be celebrate because all running is running.

Pacing The ASICS London 10k

I absolutely love supporting other people to become more confident and achieve their goals, it’s what running is all about for me. There’s nothing more amazing than watching someone cross a finish line having achieved something they didn’t think was possible. It makes my heart swell and fills me with so much joy! There isn’t anything better.

What Does A Pacer Do?

Pacers are friendly runners of all backgrounds and abilities who are there to support runners to achieve their goals - whatever they might be!

Enthusiastic and experienced, pacers run at a managed pace and finish within a designated time - in my case 1hr 30 minutes - and the aim is to help other runners keep their pace and finish at the same time. The pacers literally set the pace! However, it’s not all about time, pacers are also there to offer support and encouragement as they guide runners around the course, inspiring everyone to finish the race with a Joy PB.

How I Become A Pacer

I’ve been supporting other runners for a long time. Way back in the day, I was a run leader for Lululemon and I’ve led runs for lots of other groups since. I’ve paced people individually through 5kms, 10km and half marathons and I absolutely love helping people challenge themselves and achieve things they didn’t think were possible!

Pacing for a big race like the ASICS London 10k is a dream come true - I mean helping people conquer a huge race in the heart of the city I love, what could be better?! I’d heard that the race organisers had been looking for pacers so I volunteered. I’d given the organisers my most recent 10k times and they allocated me the 1hr 30min group - pacers are usually allocated groups where they can sustain the pace easily and are still able to chat and focus on things other than running, we’re there to support people so we need to be feeling fresh.

A Team Effort

I was pacing alongside my good friend (and Speed Project team mate) Allie and, if I say so myself, we make a stellar pacing team! We were both really keen to make sure our runners had the best experience possible and that our pacing was SPOT ON. We both spent time practicing running at the 1hr 30min pace - it wasn’t easy, we both run quite a bit faster when left to our own devices and slowing down took focus and commitment, but this wasn’t our race and we needed to nail it for our runners. We also talked a lot about how we’d stay on pace during the race. We were in constant communication for the whole race, checking in with each other, looking at our watches (central London is notorious for GPS dropping out so we cross-checked a lot) and referring to the pace card. I don’t think there was one moment in this race where one of us wasn’t checking the pace.

race day Stories

Pacing at the back of the pack is very special. Everyone running a 10k will have a story, and I know there are people leading the race with amazing running stories, but if you’re going into a race knowing that you’ll be right at the back that takes something extra. One of the ladies we ran with was running her first 10k after treatment for cancer. Clad in hot pink she’d come all the way from India and it was such a privilege to support her across the finish line. There were lots of hugs and selfies afterwards!

Another woman stuck with us for the whole race. Head down and focused you could see she was putting everything into each step, next time I’m having a tough run I know I’ll remember this woman.

Along the route we were joined by all sorts of people and I loved seeing so many groups of friends running together. There were three ladies who were particularly memorable for me, clad in neon green they were committed to crossing the finish line together and crossing it before the 1hr 30 pacers and the did it by miles! It was such a thrill seeing them run into the distance doing something they didn’t think was possible.

As a pacer you don’t always know that people are running ‘with you’, they might be a few steps behind but keeping you in sight, so it was lovely when some women came up to us to say thank you for the support we didn’t even know we were giving. It gave me all of the feelings!

Pacing is an amazing experience, and something I think every runner should think about doing. There’s something really satisfying about literally running for someone else, and the connections you make during those runs are really special. Nothing beats it.