Friends! Our community needs our help! If you have lived in this area long enough you know that there is an annual fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, aka the CHaD, that centers around a series of races. The fundraiser and races go to support the kids and families in the Children’s health program. The race itself is a race of HEROS, because all it takes to be hero is the act of giving selflessly (you can also wear a cape if you’d like). One way that our community has asked us to give is by using our talents as runners to help others by being pacers for the half marathon Hero race.

Races, even when they are for fun, are challenging both mentally and physically especially for people who are racing for the first time. Steady as a rock, constant and ever forward as time itself; pacers offer a beacon for the racers that for some can make or break their ability to finish. The CHaD half marathon in particular is a challenging course (see below) that tackles some serious inclines, the community *needs* people like us that can carry them through to the finish! 

So I ask of thee, good UVRC Fam, to lend your athleticism on October 15th to the CHaD Hero Half Marathon. Your duties as a pacer are to arrive at the finish at your pace time and as the name suggests, maintain a steady pace from start to finish. As a pacer you run a pace you *know* you can do because that confidence is infectious and people *will* look to you for support as the miles creep up. But more than keeping pace, you are an anchor for those around you providing moral support when the going gets tough, you are in a position of authority and expertise and your encouragement can move people. Speaking from experience, pacing community races is an extremely rewarding experience and one of my favorite ways to give back to the community and YOU have it in you to help others with all the training you have been doing. 

So please consider pacing if

• You have run at least 2 half marathons (or greater distance) and are comfortable with running at a prescribed pace for the full distance
• You’d like to pace even parts of the half marathon! We know committing to a full race can be a lot but we’d happily take people who are willing to do parts and potentially provide relief to other pacers.
• You want to be a hill support pacer! This race has some tough hills that can break people. You can be where they need help most by pacing hill segments and providing encouragement. 

If you are interested, please fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/pmBBRoVgS5e5JYdTA