Pace Teams

Pace teams? For Grand Rapids? What do you think we are, Chicago?

But Doctor Rick came up with a great idea. Let’s have people try to beat the times of famous people who have run marathons. If you’ve with us, you already know NOBODY does pace teams like the Grand Rapids Marathon. Here’s your chance to run with Will Ferrell, beat George W. Bush in a race, or prove you’re at least as fast as Oprah.

Whatever your pace, chances are we’ll have a celebrity inspired pace team to take you to the finish in your targeted time. The teams will run even splits the whole way to keep you from starting too fast, and all the pacers will be fun, outgoing, seasoned marathoners who will help you with practical advice along the way.

Participation is free and you can sign up at the Expo on Saturday.

And yes, there will be half-marathon pace teams as well!

THE 2025 PACE TEAM ROSTER

Celebrity-Pace Pace Teams

5:50:52 This Pace Is On Fire – Here is your chance to break six hours with the author of “Hell’s Kitchen”! Our pacers will keep you from “Fallin” and bring you across the finish in an “Empire State of Mind”!

5:32:35 Fred’s Finishers – Honors Fred Lebow, the founder of the New York City Marathon and the father of the big city marathon. Fred finally got to run his own race while battling brain cancer, and Grete Waitz paced him to an historic finish!

5:17:37 Keep It Jaxxed – Jax has a bit of an attitude and so will you once you finish strong with our team! Come learn “Victoria’s Secret” and hang with us long after “Cinderella Snapped”!
 
4:58:25 Al Gore’s: An Inconvenient Pace Team – A pace team that honors the inventor of pace teams and leaves a very small environmental footprint.

4:43:17 Gibbler Style – Kimmy Gibbler never left the Tanner family alone on Full House. Feel free to do the same with your pacers on race day!

4:29:20 Team Oprah – Everyone wants to know if they can beat Oprah!

4:13:10 Kevin Hart’s Pace Makers – Run with Hart! Our pacers may not be Captain Underpants, but they are sort of superheroes who will help you finish strong.

3:56:12 Will Ferrell’s Sub-4′s – Nine-minute miles on the nose will break four hours with four minutes to spare, just like Will. Shake & Bake!

3:44:52 George W.’s Running Mates – While W’s time is impressive, imagine how much faster he could have run if he hadn’t stopped to look for weapons of mass destruction? Either way, here’s your chance to win the Presidential Race!

3:30:37 Gordon Ramsay’s Bleeping Pace Team– “That chicken is raw!”, “Raw, raw, raw!, “You’re gonna kill someone!”. We can (almost) guarantee your pacers will be kinder than the star of Hell’s Kitchen!

3:1415926 Pi’s Pacers – Geeky younger brother of Phidippides in ancient Greece, was more interested in mathematics than in running.

2:59:13 Fine Line To 2:59 – We finally found a celebrity to replace Lance! Harry Styles ran a 2:59 at Berlin right alongside our very own pacer, Valerio Girrotto! Naming the team was a challenge, there were so many possibilities. “Running With Styles” and “OneDSub3” both got serious consideration, but the winner was “Fine Line to 2:59”. Come break 3 hours with the fastest celebrity pace team in the world and get some Watermelon Sugar! 

For more information, contact the pace team director,
Rick Ganzi (Dr. Rick AKA The Pickle Juice Guy)

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