Riding a coker in a 10k or marathon?

as a runner, I'd say that if there was a vote, I'd vote against
unicycles being ridden in a 10k or marathon alongside the runners.

the start would be a total mess, even on foot it gets tricky. you have
to dodge and weave through the people till you can finally run against
people around your skill level. if you were to just wait till the field
thins out a little and then hop on then your just being a road block.
not to mention what should happen if you upd.

I don't even like seeing walkers in 10k's. part of the bond of running
is that everyone's giving it their all and everyone "enjoys" mutual
suffering. and then you have that person who walks taking their grand
old time, not even tired at the end. just slowing up the event for
everyone else.

now I know that you won't be back of the pack, you'll probably be near
the front (given the fact that you have a coker, you should be
winning). it's cool if your the underdog (uni in a bike race), but when
you have a very distinct advantage, it takes out the sport of it, even
though people know it won't be fair.

you could ask to be a pacer, that might be something the race
organizers might like.

--
zfreak220

KH fund: $313.15/$390-$76.85 left-august 4th

Unicaw89 said:

Special thanks to Jesus, cause he gives me pimpsauce in a can that I
spread around to the world!

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Being a pacer would be a great novelty for the event and sounds like
fun. Just make sure you can ride at the right speed the runners need,
and are quick enough. Compare top runners best times and your best
times over the same course and you could be in for a surprise. Start by
comparing running event times to UNICON 10k and marathon times (and
remember you'll be quite a bit slower than the top finishers).
I'm very sceptical it would work... go for the fun ride and maybe try
next year.

--
mikepenton

Uni - The Unicycle Magazine
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I've ridden as a pacer/marshall in local club running racers, but I
think that in a big run it would be a very bad idea, very different
pace and style of motion. Racers are often anarchic and being on a uni
could cause some nasty accidents. Also they'll quite likely have to
refuse you on grounds of insurance. Maybe you could ride as a pacer of
if you have a parade of vehicles running at the front, but riding in
the pack doesn't sound like such a good idea.

--
kington99

Dave

- what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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This sounds like a very bad idea. On a coker you'll be up with the
fastest runners - if you're not, you probably shouldn't be
contemplating it anyway. You will be in the way, the runners won't know
how to pass you safely, you'll cause chaos and possibly injury if you
UPD in the wrong place. I would have no hesitation in excluding you
from any of the races that I organise, with the possible exception of
being back-marker - and then you'd not be able to ride slowly enough on
a coker.

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martin.phillips
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The first big race we ever did in NZ was a 70km running race. We didn't
win but we didn't do too badly considering we were pretty novice with
racing at the time and riding on 28" and 26" unicycles.

On a Coker you should easily go faster than you would running. On the
other hand, a 24" or 26" might be more enjoyable because then you'd be
going at a more similar speed to the runners and have the
maneuvaribility to start in a big bunch.

I think in the end every event organiser and every event is different.
Hopefully yours is amenable to having unicyclists participating.

Good Luck!

--
GizmoDuck

The Uninam Tour 2008.....Hanoi to Saigon!!!
www.uninam.net

Email me for details.
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I average about 12mph on the bike path where the 10k will take place,
and routinely pass not only seasoned runners (preparing for the race)
but *most* bikers with ease! There are not likely to be any "elite"
runners as the 10k doesn't provide any money or much glory; it's mostly
for fun.😄

Even the best runners in this event probably won't even do a 5 minute
mile, which just happens to be 12mph, let alone maintain that speed
very long. The vast majority of runners I would leave in the dust!
But, alas, I agree that it wouldn't be safe or practical to be in the
"mix" with lots of runners; too much chance for collision and injury to
me or someone else. I guess I'll just stick with the bike 10k instead.

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MuniAddict

"On Earth it would be...12 noon" (Twilight zone episode, "To serve
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I think it's all up to the organizers, who bear the liability for the
event. I've heard of past cases of unicyclists being allowed to ride
ahead of the runners, which I believe is what Floyd Beattie did back in
the 80s when he set a marathon record for himself at 1:58.

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want you in amongst the runners. They
don't know you well enough, and the runners don't know unicyclists well
enough for it to be a comfortable environment for them. But if they let
you start 10 minutes ahead...

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
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Hi Terry,

I've done a 12km fun run, which had a rollerblade category in front of
the runners, which was where I entered. That started 4 minutes before
the runners I think. I knew I wasn't going to have any hassle, because
I knew I could beat every world running record from 5km up to 15km, and
the runners didn't catch up with me. I averaged about 14mph. The first
runner came in about 8-10 minutes after me, I think his average was
about 12.5.

For speeds, in a local club 10k, typically the winning time will be
just over half an hour. Which puts them at about 12.5 mph average.
Unless you've got a lot faster in the last month, I'd expect you to
average 10-11mph over that distance.

With a 10km, the start makes a big difference, so the start of a 10km
race like that is always mad, no way I'd want to be on a coker in that.
For longer races, like Ken's 70km, the start doesn't make so much
difference, you can chill out there and overtake people once it spreads
out.

A coker is particularly bad, cos any fall means you potentially take
out a lot of people with that big wheel, and with the height you're
falling from.

Joe

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joemarshall said:

Hi Terry, For speeds, in a local club 10k, typically the winning time
will be just over half an hour. Which puts them at about 12.5 mph
average. Unless you've got a lot faster in the last month, I'd expect
you to average 10-11mph over that distance. Joe

Well I've been doing 12-20 mile [36er] rides several time per week, and
yesterday, we did a 20 miler and my max speed was 14.8mph, and an
average of 12mph. Currently 12mph seems to be a good, comfortable
cruising speed, but I'll fluctuate sometimes between 10.5 -13mph. I'm
really feeling like I'm ready to move to 110mm cranks, but I'm not sure
if it will make much difference in speed, but I sure know my new brake
will come in handy for dh with 110's.😄

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"On Earth it would be...12 noon" (Twilight zone episode, "To serve
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