St. Louis Track Club Pace Series
Date: Every Wednesday, June 11-Sept. 17, 2025
Time: Walkers start at 6 p.m., others at 6:15 p.m.
Location: Forest Park Visitors Center
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For more than half a century, the St. Louis Track Club has hosted a truly unique running experience: the Summer Pace Series. Forget the pressure of chasing others or constantly checking your watch. For 16 weeks, you'll embark on a journey of self-discovery as you take on a variety of courses within the beautiful surroundings of Forest Park on courses ranging from a 3K to 4.2 miles.
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Here's the twist: before each Wednesday night run (walkers start at 6:00 PM, all others at 6:15 PM), you'll predict your finish time. Then, you'll leave your watch and phone behind and rely solely on your own sense of pace. It's not about racing others; it's a personal challenge to see how well you know your own running rhythm. After the run, points are awarded based on actual time vs. predicted time.
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For just $1 per run (with optional donations for post-run snacks and our end-of-season party!), you can be part of this tradition. Each month, the most accurate estimators have a chance to win ribbons, and overall series champions are awarded trophies at the fun run and awards ceremony on Sept. 24, 2025.
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Whether you're a seasoned runner looking for a different kind of challenge or new to the sport and seeking a supportive and social environment, the Pace Series welcomes all. It's a great way to connect with fellow runners, enjoy the beauty of Forest Park, and develop your skills as a runner.
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Registration is not required, but most communication about the series is done via email. You MUST sign a waiver before running. To be added to to the email list and sign a waiver, use the registration link at the top of the page.​
Pace Series FAQs
What is the Pace Series?
The St. Louis Track Club’s Pace Series is a 16-week no-tech run series that has been taking place every summer for more than 50 years – way before our smartphones and watches even existed! Participants estimate their finish time, leave their devices behind, and we record their actual finish time. Error points are given based on how close each participant’s estimate is to their actual finish time. We give monthly and series awards, hang out in Forest Park, make new friends and have a great time.
What are error points?
Each participant is given error points based on how far off their estimated finish time is from their actual finish time, in seconds. The Pace Series gives monthly and overall series awards.
Example: Danica estimates her 3K finish time will be 21:00. She actually finishes in 20:32 – 28 seconds faster than her estimate. She has an error of 28 for that run. Ron estimates his finish time will be 14:31, but finishes in 14:52 – 21 seconds slower than his estimate. He has an error of 21 for that run.
Monthly awards: To be eligible for a monthly award, you must complete at least three Pace Runs during the month. The average is calculated using the three weeks with the lowest error. When a runner completes all 4 weeks, the error is used as the tiebreaker.
Example: Danica completes four runs in June for the Pace Series. Her errors were 20, 15, 10 and 28. Her monthly average for June is 15 (28 was dropped because only the lowest three runs are included). Ron completes three runs for June, with errors of 20, 4 and 21. His average for June is also 15. Danica placed ahead of Ron for June because she completed four runs.
Series awards: To be eligible for a series award, you must complete at least 12 Pace Runs and volunteer at least once during the 16-week season. The error from the lowest 12 weeks is used to calculate the series average. If needed, the error from weeks 13, 14, and 15 are used as tie breakers.
What are the courses?
We rotate through six courses ranging from 3K-4.2 miles in distance. Each course begins and ends relatively close to the Forest Park Visitor’s Center (we recommend parking in the lot there). The full schedule and course maps can be found here: 2025 Course List and Maps. The schedule is subject to change depending on weather conditions and park activities. The courses are lightly marked on the road with chalk and cones, and we will also have print copies of the map for review at check-in each week. We do not stop traffic for this group run, so please be aware and mindful of your surroundings. For all distances greater than 3K, a water stop is provided mid-course. There are also water and snacks at the Start/Finish.
What’s the process?
Pre-registration is not required, but a waiver must be signed before participating (only once per season). All major communication, including any run cancellations, will be done by email.
You can sign the waiver and join the email list here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF5wyKYQx3mWVZpE3QgDI94a6N7R2hlObxgimm9EwUV-ZwmQ/viewform.
Every week we’ll have tables set up at the Start/Finish area marked on the course map. You’ll sign in and provide an estimated finish time (don’t worry, we provide a pace chart for each distance!). Signup is divided into Runners and Walkers – we time separately, but all the results are recorded together. We also have a secure place for you to leave your phones and watches.
Walkers begin at 6 p.m. and runners begin at 6:15 p.m. We’ll call out finish times as you come through, and we record the results – please check with us to make sure we got your time. Then we hang out, eat snacks and have a good time! Feel free to bring a chair and a cooler and join. Some of the folks in the Pace Series have been participating for decades – they’ve got some great stories!
Do I have to be a Track Club member to participate?
No, but you do have to sign the waiver. But if you want to join the Track Club and get an awesome discount on races and swag, you can do that here: https://runsignup.com/MemberOrg/StLouisTrackClub
Is there a cost?
Yes, we charge $1 per run, and we require that each series participant volunteer at least once during the series to be eligible for an award. Additional donations are also welcome (we are a non-profit organization, after all).
What do volunteers do?
We need volunteers for timing, recording finish times and manning the water station.
Do I have to actually run each week?
No. We have two start times, 6 p.m. for walkers and 6:15 p.m. for runners. We track you separately, but everyone is scored together at the end. If you don’t want to run at all (or can’t attend), you can use this as one of your drops for the month/series.
What kind of race is this?
It’s not a race at all. This challenge is all about getting to know yourself. But if you show up consistently and do well, we’ll give you a small award and tons of kudos! As a no-tech challenge we keep this pretty low-key. Volunteers time participants with stopwatches and call out finish times. We do our best to record all the results as accurately as possible.