(Photos courtesy of Leader-Post, coach Joe English and SaskCentral QCM volunteers)

Does the SaskCentral Queen City Marathon have Pace Rabbits?

Yes. Pace Rabbits are organized and provided by the Regina Running Room location. The SaskCentral QCM is not responsible for the performance accuracy of the Pace Rabbits...or how well they hop.

 

I’m new to this…what the heck is a Pace Rabbit?

A Pace Rabbit (sometimes called a Pace Bunny) is a runner (or walker, depending on the event) who has volunteered to give up his or her individual race goal in order to lead a group of runners (or walkers) during the race, with the goal of bringing that group to the finish line in a predetermined finishing time. 

Pace Rabbits are identified by their Pace Rabbit T-shirts and their big foam “bunny ears” hats. The bunny ears are marked with the Pace Rabbit’s event and target time.

For example, someone who is a 4:30 Pace Rabbit for the Marathon will be running at a pace that will see him/her crossing the finish line with a time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. A 3:00 Pace Rabbit for the Sask Egg Producers Half Marathon Walk will walk the course at a pace to cross the finish line in 3 hours, and so on. The idea is, if you follow the Pace Rabbit, you will cross the finish line at that Rabbit’s target time. Think of them as moving stopwatches…with silly, floppy bunny ears.

At the start of the race when everyone is lining up, the Pace Rabbits will be holding up signs that display their target finishing times. Look for the sign that is closest to your target finishing time, and go line up around that particular Pace Rabbit.

At the Running Room Friendship Run on the Saturday morning before the race, you can meet all the Pace Rabbits and find the Rabbit that will be leading the group closest to your target finishing time. Introduce yourself, and let the Rabbit know that you will be part of his/her pace group. 

 

What are the Pace Rabbit pacing times?

If you have questions regarding the Pace Rabbit times, please contact the Regina Running Room directly at (306) 790-8480 or email them at regina@runningroom.com

 

Do the Pace Rabbits run straight through or do they do "Ten & One's"?

In keeping with the Running Room's training clinic methods, the Running Room Pace Rabbits run "Ten & One's." 

For those runners not familiar with this method, it means that you run ten minutes and then briskly walk a minute, then run for another 10 minutes, etc, over and over and over.

Of course, if you want to know about the Pace Rabbits for the Sask Egg Producers Half Marathon WALK event, they ALSO do "Ten & One's." You walk for ten minutes, then you walk for a minute, then you walk for ten minutes, then you walk for a minute...gee, not much of a rest there, is it?

 

How do I become a Pace Rabbit for the SaskCentral Queen City Marathon? Does it pay well?

Pace Rabbits for the SaskCentral QCM are organized and provided by the Running Room. If you wish to become a Pace Rabbit, please contact the Regina Running Room directly at (306) 790-8480 or email them at regina@runningroom.com. 

Pace Rabbits are all volunteers. Through the Regina Running Room store, the SaskCentral QCM provides each Pace Rabbit with free registration and free entry to the Pasta Party, hosted by the Conexus Arts Centre. The Running Room may also provide the Pace Rabbits with some goodies, but you must contact the Regina Running Room store for more information.

Pace Rabbits are responsible for bringing their followers across the finish line in the assigned time. It is a BIG responsibility to be a Pace Rabbit, as many other runners and walkers will be counting on you to get them to the finish line at their goal time.