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There’s a reason that all runners, whether elite or hobbyist, bunch together at major races. Pack running, as it’s called, is an effective strategy for conserving energy and harnessing the camaraderie of others for individual success.
The California International Marathon (CIM), which occurs every December in Sacramento, California, is one of the best pack-running races in the U.S. Hundreds of runners around the country flock to its PR-friendly course to attempt Olympic Trials qualifiers (OTQ). With a plethora of pacers and an abundance of athletes around the same fitness level, the race has a consistently high volume of OTQs.
So when three runners from Washington D.C.-based Georgetown Running Club (GRC)— 27-year-old Sam Doud; Zach Herriott, 29; and Tom Slattery, 26—signed up for CIM this year, they felt confident that if they worked together, all three would run faster than the 2:18:00 qualifying standard.
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“The plan was to run 2:17:45 together,” Doud said. “CIM is the holy land of running that pace.”
But like plans often do, they changed when the trio arrived at the starting line on December 4. Doud and Slattery were in the elite corral, while Herriott was not. After the gun went off, Herriott was a few dozen meters behind his teammates and had to gradually catch up. Herriott knew there was a 2:18:00 pacer in the race, but didn’t know who they were or what they looked like. So he just connected with his teammates after two and a half miles—but they were running much faster than expected.
“I catch up to them... we’re clipping 5:08 or 5:09 every single mile,” Herriott said. “In my head, I’m like, we’re putting money in the bank.”
Doud, Herriott, and Slattery passed 13.1 miles in 1:08:02—almost a minute ahead of their goal pace. They were surrounded by nearly 20 other runners, which told them they were probably doing something right.
“We realized, let’s just stick with it, roll the dice. I think had we dropped back, we would have been in no-man’s land,” said Slattery. “That would have been self-defeating. It’s better to have a group, have momentum, and roll with that.”
By mile 20, they were one roll away from a Yahtzee. But at 35K, Herriott and Slattery pulled away from the pack, which worried Doud: “I remember thinking at the time, they aren’t picking it up, I’m falling back. I looked down at my watch and saw a 5:05 come up, which indicated I was also speeding up.”
The pack did its job: carrying them comfortably through most of the race. Slattery crossed the line in 2:15:32 for 15th place and turned around to see Herriott finish right behind him in 2:15:34. Soon after, Doud arrived in 2:15:50. All three finished in the top-20.
“I was already celebrating by 23 miles, because I was like, I got this,” Doud said. “But to do it with your teammates and friends is pretty big.”
Just like how pack running helped them on race day, each runner touted the importance of teamwork on regular runs and in workouts—something that becomes rarer with age, when high school and college athletics are well in the past.
“Trying to fit in training around a full-time work schedule is tough, but it makes the payoff all the more gratifying,” said Herriott, who is a senior manager of professional services for a tech company. “That’s why our club is pretty unique—we workout together twice a week.”
Slattery, who is an officer in the Coast Guard, described one such workout the group completed: a 12-mile tempo with a big uphill in the first mile. Typically, they run that first mile in 5:20, but on that day, they finished it in 5:07—and kept rolling 5:05 pace.
“[At CIM] when we hit halfway going around 5:10 pace, I knew it was fine. We’ve done this before and felt okay,” Slattery said.
But it’s not only the trio of Doud, Herriott, and Slattery who have seen success as part of GRC. Potentially eight to 10 GRC athletes will compete at the 2024 Olympic Trials, thanks to the tutelage of head coach Jerry Alexander.
“No one’s a pro. No one gets any meaningful support. Everyone comes out and works for it,” Doud said.
Next time you have a hard workout or race, connect with a group of friends or teammates. If GRC’s success is any proof, you won’t only attain your goals—you’ll have fun chasing them too.
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
