5K runners and walkers start together?!?

Hi all,

Recently ran my first 'Great Race' 5K in Pittsburgh and was very surprised to find the walkers starting with the 5K runners. Is this a common thing?

Thanks for your time,

There's nothing on the entry form that says you have to run.

Quite a few people ante up the entry fee with the full intention of strolling non-competitively down the street. Well, it's their money.

You occasionally see a few serious race walkers in running races, probably because there are almost no organized race walks outside of the 6am time slot at European track meets.

Most races I have been in do start the walk & run together. A few start the walk a few minutes after the run, which is better because too many walkers start near the front and then I have to weave in and out to get around them.

There are usually a couple serious walkers who keep up a sub-9 minute/mile pace and beat some runners.

I some of the races I have been in here in Ohio the walkers usually start at the back. I hope that was the case for you. They also sometimes have a ten minute later start time in a few other races I seen but not ran.

Most of the shorter races around here reserve the front for a few serious guys but after that it's just a mob. Fast runners, slow runners, walkers all at random. Of course some of the sensible slower people seed themselves farther back (especially on chip timed