Marathon Pace Setting and Leadership that Inspires

Leaders in organizations are the ones who set the pace for their teams. But the best leaders go beyond simply setting the pace. The best leaders also inspire throughout the journey.

Training for my first marathon has been a step-by-step lesson in gratitude. During the Cleveland Marathon on May 21, I was even more grateful to meet two pacers who were also inspiring leaders.

When I found these two pace setters–Rob and Greg–midway through the first mile, they held a sign that said 4 hours and 20 minutes (9:55 per mile). I finished my 20-mile training run at a 10-minute and 34-second pace. But my goal was to do better than that in the marathon.

I believed I had a chance at finishing under 10 minutes per mile. So when I found the 9-minute and 55-second group, I decided to stay with them as long as possible and see what happened.

Not all leaders are great pace setters, and not all pace setters are great leaders. But Rob and Greg were exceptionally skilled in both areas. I joined about 20 or 25 marathoners running in this group just before mile 2. During the entire marathon, not only did they do an excellent job keeping the pace for us, but they also went above and beyond as leaders. 

They asked me my name, my story, and my goals. They remembered what I said for the next four hours. They made it a point to encourage me and the entire group. They coached, supported, and inspired us throughout the race while running the marathon at the pace they were hired to set.

As we ran past crowds of people gathered along the street, Rob and Greg would ask those spectators to cheer for us. They pumped up the crowds at every turn. They offered tips for making it up the hills more efficiently. They showed us how to run the tangents. They provided motivation when we needed it. They made us laugh when we began to struggle.

Rob and Greg offered technical tips for running an effective race. They reminded us to get water. Stay hydrated. But they also reminded us to remember how good we were doing. Remember that we trained for this moment. To be proud of how far we’ve come. Believe we can keep going.

These are things they weren’t required to do. Rob and Greg were hired to run at a specific pace for 26.2 miles. That box had been checked. But as leaders and people, they cared enough to do more.

Despite their best efforts, the group of 20 or 25 runners at the two-mile mark slowly dwindled to three by the start of mile 23. That group of three then dwindled to two as I began to fade. I thought the hills of Edgewater Beach in Cleveland were the end of the line for me. I would finish the marathon, but not at this pace. I hung with them as long as I could.

“Are we losing you, Brendan?!” Rob yelled as I was fading from the group.

“Yes,” I said. “It’s been real. I appreciate you, fellas. But yes.”

“Keep going!” he yelled back.

After the stretch of hills came to a merciful end by mile 24, I hit a patch of flat terrain. It became less challenging without the elevation. I decided, then, that I owed it to the people who helped me so much to catch back up with them. I pushed harder because of the leadership they provided. 

Just before mile 25, I did catch up. When I rejoined the group, Rob yelled, "Brendan's back! That’s what I’m talking about!”

He gave me a fist bump and yelled again as he turned to a group of spectators standing along the Detroit Road bridge in Cleveland. 

“This is Brendan, you guys! He is about to finish his first marathon! Let’s hear it for Brendan!”

They cheered loudly in response. Complete strangers, yelling my name and telling me how great I was doing. It meant a lot.

It was incredible how happy these two race leaders, whom I had never met before, genuinely were to see me back with the group. To see me accomplishing my goal. It gave me a jolt of energy to finish strong.

After that, I raced away from the group and crossed the finish line at an overall pace of 9 minutes and 49 seconds.

I’m not sure I would have accomplished my goal of finishing under 10 minutes per mile if those two people hadn’t been setting that pace. As I processed my 4-hour and 17-minute odyssey through Cleveland over the next few days, I thought about how Rob and Greg embodied the type of leader I will always push myself to be. The type of leaders everyone at Eyeful Media pushes ourselves to be for our clients, teammates, and partners.

I thought about how the best leaders coach. The best leaders encourage. The best leaders celebrate others. The best leaders care not just about the pace they are setting but about the people they are leading. 

As leaders, those two marathon pace setters helped and inspired me so much during the race that I wanted to catch up with them after I thought I ran out of gas. I felt like I owed it to them to find one more gear–and then I found it.

I know it’s not always easy to be that type of leader. Rob and Greg are special people. But I also know that in marathons, business, and life, it makes a significant impact when we try to do more than just set the pace.