Wild Ideas Worth Living · Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Lisa Jhung, an ultramarathon pacer with over 25 years of experience, shares what it's like to support runners in grueling races. She highlights the pacer's role in providing encouragement, ensuring correct fueling, and talking runners out of quitting, often acting as a crucial support system during the most challenging parts of a 100-mile race.
“That pacer's job is to keep you moving. They help you stay running fast enough to meet your goal, but not so fast that you burn out. They make sure you're fueling yourself correctly and they talk you out of quitting when your mind tells you you can't take another step.”
“So being a pacer is helping someone who's running an ultramarathon achieve their goal.”
“But really, like someone who loves doing this, you're getting to experience a race and hang out with a friend and help them and like run from aid station to aid station and get snacks and get to run in the middle of the night and have a supported event and then not have to run 100 miles.”