Run-Pace-Cheer
Individuals get the glory, but community is the bedrock of achievement, even in running
In the same way that Silicon Valley has become the epicentre of the tech world, Iten in Kenya has become the champion factory of distance running; there may be environmental factors that contribute to their success — education, infrastructure, climate and altitude to name a few — but above everything, there is community. Whether in running or business (and for many in Iten, running is a business), success within a part of the community breeds success within the community at large.
As runners, it’s easy to get caught up in our own journeys and the lonely individualism of self-improvement. We see races only as a means to improve our own PRs, and weekends as a chance to go deep and long, something best done solo. That’s great for a while, and necessary at times when we’re aiming for peak performance, but without the magic of community, it does nothing to grow the sport or share our love of running.
That’s why I like the crew movement so much — and why it’s having so much success in growing the sport and turning casual runners into active racers. In this global movement, spearheaded by the likes of Parkdale Roadrunners in Toronto, Advent Running in London, NBRO in Copenhagen, Black Roses in NYC and a raft of others, you find a competitive collectivism that creates a rising tide for the whole community. “Run-Pace-Cheer” is a motto the crew movement lives by, and it’s something the whole running world would benefit from adopting: if you’re racing, race; if you’re preparing for a goal race, pace a slightly slower friend towards a goal of their own; if your goal is behind you or a long way in the future, turn up at a local event and cheer. The racers will appreciate it, and in screaming encouragement you’ll be playing an active role in growing the sport and your community.
Would Roger Bannister have broken the four-minute mile without a packed house at Iffley Road? Maybe. Would he have broken the record without his friends and training partners Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher making the pace in the early stages? Unlikely. Bannister re-wrote what was humanly possible thanks to the support of the community of athletes and fans that surrounded him. Would Pheidippides have run himself to death just to get a PR over the distance from Marathon to Athens? Definitely not: the thing that got him through was the idea of saving his community.
Who’s going to make the next breaktrough in running? How are you going to play your part?
