A PR Is Just A Tangent Away

The North Carolina High School State Cross Country Championships are held each year at Ivey Redmon Park in Kernersville, North Carolina. The course is known for its flat course with it's twisting turns. Flat courses allow for faster times, but they also have a lot of turns that could potentially slow a runner down if runners don't attack them properly. Ivey Redmon produces slower times than other hillier courses around the state.

Have you ever completed a race and your watch (almost always) reflects that you ran more than the race distance?  Part of that is GPS inaccuracy and the other part is probably due to you not running the tangents of the course.

Certified race courses are measured so that the minimum distance you will cover is the official race distance, but this means if you weave around a lot, or hug the curves of the road going back and forth, you'll end up covering more (sometimes A LOT more...) than the actual race distance. ⁠

The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line and if you run "smart" tangents in the race, you'll end up running as close to the distance of the race as possible.

⁠How to hit the tangents.

1.) Know the race course. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the race course as much as possible.

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2.) Don't weave in and around other runners or run back & forth across the road (this can add SO much distance and you won't even notice until it's too late!)⁠

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3.) Look ahead as you run and run the straightest line forward possible through bends & curves⁠

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4.) If the course has turns, pay attention: if your next turn is to the same side (right turn, right turn), then stay close to the curb on that side. If your next turn is on the opposite side (right turn, left turn), run a straight line diagonally to the next corner.⁠

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5.) Know where the water stops/aid stations are and what side of the course they are on so you can plan ahead⁠!

***Be respectful of your fellow runners. Be mindful as you run against the crowd from inside curve to inside curve that you aren’t cutting off other runners or plowing into other people. Be respectful to your fellow runners and don’t let your running the tangents cause problems for others.

Running the tangents can take practice, and there is no perfect way to do it. Be mindful of the tangents and just do the best you can to overcome turns and curves.

Run smarter--not harder!