A pacer at Superhero Runners and several local races, Sydney Marathon-bound Valerie Tan's motivations and joy derives from helping others become the best versions of themselves
“Only 0.01% of the world’s population completes a marathon per year.”
It’s a global statistic, from the International Institute for Race Medicine (IIRM), that has made its waves through the running community worldwide, showing just how much of a feat completing a 42.195km run is. It equates to 1.1 million people a year, though this would be impossible without a particular group of heroes — pacers.
31-year-old Valerie Tan, who has her sights set on the Sydney Marathon Presented by ASICS as her next race, is a pacer at local run club, Superhero Runners (SHR) and has paced runners at several local half marathons.
Even for an experienced runner, who came in second in her age group in the Bangkok Airways Samui 10km race, her excitement upon hearing about the record 412 Singaporeans set to take part in the Sydney Marathon bubbled over. After all, nothing quite compares to racing overseas alongside an army of your own compatriots.
“Sounds like there will be a mini Singapore town in Sydney!” she smiled, before adding, “I’m really excited to see so many familiar faces in a foreign country. The running community in Singapore, although small, is a very encouraging bunch. I hope everyone will be able to achieve what they set out and I’m ready to listen to all the good news after the race,” Valerie gushed.
Her bubbly nature and athletic prowess are just two of her features that make her a well-known pacer amongst the community.
“My limbs and back feel like they’re 51, I personally feel 21, but my actual age is 31. All the above are accurate so feel free to publish either,” she laughed at the toll pacing and her full time job has taken on her.
Despite the fatigue, pacing and being part of the crew at SHR seems to be one her sources of joy amidst a bustling career in the Central Business District.
They’re easily identifiable on race days and on your group runs, but the sheer amount of work put into becoming a pacer is still relatively shrouded in mystery, and that’s because it all unfolds before the city even stirs to life.
“There have been so many mornings where I wake up and hope for rain so that I can head back to bed. I have zero luck in this though. Every time I pray for rain, the sun decides to come out at full force. However, thinking of the motivated runners who wake up early for their runs keep me going,” shared Valerie.
With intense pacer training and a full-time job, it’s no wonder the 31-year-old has become an early bird, though she strictly tries to only be an early riser during training periods. Other than getting out of bed early, being a pacer has taught her one of the most important bits of marathon running — mental resilience.
Waking up before the crack of dawn two to three times a week, pacer training consists of shorter (for runners at least) six to eight kilometer runs on weekdays and longer runs varying from 10 to 21 kilometers (depending on the race distance) on weekends. As if that doesn’t sound tough enough, Valerie also completes her intervals at CCAB Evans Road on Thursdays. The time, pain and exhaustion all leads to the one thing that makes it all worth it and that’s “being part of people’s joy.”
“Running alongside people who never thought they could run the distance that they signed up for is the most meaningful part of being a pacer. Many times, I hear runners saying that they sign up for races in the hopes of ticking the checklist they set for the year” she said.
“After a race, runners usually thank us for their improvements, but honestly, I believe it’s all down to their hard work and perseverance. They’re the ones that brought themselves to where they are.”
With the Sydney Marathon slots all snapped up, there’s bound to be hundreds of personal bests beaten and goals achieved, in spite of the course’s infamous rolling hills. It’ll be even sweeter, should the personal records break on Sydney’s final race before it potentially becomes a World Marathon Major in 2025.
On Sydney Marathon’s quest to becoming the seventh World Major, Valerie said: “It’s awesome, really. I believe, to Australia, this will be something they will be proud of. Given that the criterion to qualify as a Major is a huge list, if they are able to achieve it next year, I am honoured to be one of the runners that ran the race that did it.”
Signed up for this year's Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS ? Singapore based Sydney Marathon participants can enjoy exclusive partner discounts - find out more here.