Marathon pacemakers like Harald Schrenk are in demand
First up for him at the beginning of October is the legendary Ironman in Hawaii, an absolute triathlon classic for which you first have to qualify with appealing performances. Only two weeks later, the anniversary edition of the Linz Marathon is also firmly scheduled. Harald Schrenk is once again proving his remarkable stamina this fall. But the Linz native is taking a step back at his home race in order to be the pacesetter for others. Schrenk is participating for the eleventh time this year as a pacemaker, skillfully guiding the group to the main square with the goal of three hours.
When his fellow runners then fall around his neck in joy at the time he has achieved, the custom work over the 42.195 kilometers has been a complete success. "For many people, finishing a marathon in under three hours is their goal in life. Of course, you're also happy when you really succeed," says Schrenk.
The work of the pacemaker requires high accuracy. "I have to run an average of 4:15 minutes per kilometer, two seconds up or down is still possible, but the key to success is uniformity," says Schrenk, born in 1965.
The inner clock sets the pace
He, an absolute master of his craft, doesn't need any modern aids at all for this. "I have a feeling how fast we're going. I've also tried the modern GPS watches that show you the pace, but the constant looking only makes you nervous. It always went best when I trusted my inner clock, which is trained from all the training," says Schrenk, who first came into contact with endurance sports in the early days of triathlon after years in ice hockey. "Since then, the whole thing hasn't let me go," says the CEO of a software company. He is particularly enthusiastic about Linz every year. "The whole thing already starts in the preparation with the regular running meetings. It's like a marathon family, you stick together."
Tempomacher for any time
From 3 to 4:45 hours, there is a pacer every 15 minutes at the marathon in Linz who leads the respective group at the optimal pace. "They are easily recognizable with bright yellow shirts from Erima and a flag on their back," says Julia Kitzmüller, one of the good souls in the marathon office and coordinator of the pacemakers.
