When competitive road racers see purple and gold jerseys at the starting line, they know they’re in trouble.
Road races for runners vary in distance from a mile to 10,000 meters and are open to everyone, including non-collegiate competitors. There are usually entry fees and prizes for each age group and overall winners.
Occasionally, LSU runners include road races as part of their training and generally win with little effort. When they show up en masse, they form a large portion of the top-10 finishers.
“It helps keep running fun and competitive in the offseason,” senior Cullen Doody said. “You’re not out there for the prizes. You’re out there for a good time, and you always get that at a road things.”
In summer 2010, Chautin and former Tiger Alan Sticker would typically jog four miles, run a two-mile race and jog another four miles to form a solid 10-mile workout.
“If he wasn’t running in that race, he would probably be out running the same pace for 10 miles as a workout,” Elliott said.
The NCAA allows athletes to compete in road races, but they cannot accept any prizes.
“If I stood anything to gain from road racing, I’d probably do it more often,” Chautin said.
Elliott’s only rule on road races is that the Tigers shouldn’t tire themselves to the point that they’ll be unable to practice the following day.
Some runners avoid road races as much as possible.
“Road racing is one of those things I just don’t mess with too much,” said junior Roger Cooke. “I’d prefer to go out and do a hard workout than just do a road race. Personally, I feel like that’s a better fit for people.”
Senior Laura Carleton also enjoys the camaraderie of fellow runners.
“It’s cool to interact with the running community because a lot of them are fans or former runners,” Carleton said.
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Contact Andrew Chapple at [email protected]
Cross Country: LSU runners use road races as training for collegiate meets
By Andrew Chapple
Sports Contributor
Sports Contributor
September 13, 2011
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