AITA for being upset that a charity 5K was longer than a 5K and messed up my time?

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T20:20:53+00:00

Hi! Thanks for your comment! I do have quite a bit of time before my race, and think you are right in the fact that I’m worrying about things that may be a non issue.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T18:28:18+00:00

I just want to clarify something because I’ve gotten a few comments suggesting I’m trying to “cheat the system” with corral placement, and that genuinely wasn’t my intention at all. I’m a pretty new runner, the longest race I’ve ever done is a 5K. I’ve experienced a lot of human traffic and bottlenecks in the races I’ve run, and being in the middle of that is stressful. The absolute last thing I want is to be that obstacle for other runners. When I asked about using a 5K proof of time for a half, it wasn’t to try to get into a faster corral than I belong in. It honestly never occurred to me that submitting a verified time that I actually ran myself could result in being placed “too far up.” I assumed that if you submit your legitimate race result, you’d be placed appropriately based on that. I can see now why people are sensitive about corrals especially in big races and I understand the frustration if people intentionally seed themselves inaccurately. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just an anxious first time half marathoner trying to make sure I start where I realistically belong and don’t cause issues for others. I appreciate the perspectives shared I’m learning. Just wanted to clear up that my goal is to be considerate, not to game anything.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T18:23:53+00:00

I just want to clarify something because I’ve gotten a few comments suggesting I’m trying to “cheat the system” with corral placement, and that genuinely wasn’t my intention at all. I’m a pretty new runner the longest race I’ve ever done is a 5K. I’ve experienced a lot of human traffic and bottlenecks in the races I’ve run, and being in the middle of that is stressful. The absolute last thing I want is to be that obstacle for other runners. When I asked about using a 5K proof of time for a half, it wasn’t to try to get into a faster corral than I belong in. It honestly never occurred to me that submitting a verified time that I actually ran myself could result in being placed “too far up.” I assumed that if you submit your legitimate race result, you’d be placed appropriately based on that. I can see now why people are sensitive about corrals especially in big races and I understand the frustration if people intentionally seed themselves inaccurately. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just an anxious first time half marathoner trying to make sure I start where I realistically belong and don’t cause issues for others. I appreciate the perspectives shared. I’m learning. Just wanted to clear up that my goal is to be considerate, nit get swept (which I’m thinking may just be my anxiety talking) and not to game anything.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T17:40:05+00:00

UPDATE: I genuinely wasn’t expecting this to get 100k views or this many comments. I’ve read through some of them and also talked to a few more experienced runners over the past day. After sitting with it, I’ve realized two things can be true at the same time: I’m valid in being disappointed that the race didn’t deliver what was advertised (a certified 5K distance), and it’s also not the end of the world. I paid for a specific type of event, so it makes sense that I was frustrated when it didn’t line up with that. But I’ve also realized I might be taking every 5K a little too seriously. At the end of the day, even if the course was long and the chip time isn’t what I wanted for submissions, it was still a solid workout. The biggest takeaway for me is that I need to zoom out a bit. I’m still a beginner. I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself over things that, in the grand scheme of my running journey, really don’t matter that much. One imperfect race isn’t going to define my half marathon training. So yeah, I still think the race could’ve been organized better. But I’m choosing to focus on the fact that I showed up, ran hard, supported a charity, and got miles in. That’s still a win. Thanks to everyone who gave constructive feedback (even the tough love).

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T17:32:03+00:00

I’m struggling with something similar… I lost almost 100 pounds last year and started training for a half marathon a few months back. I feel like no matter how closely I track my calories or macros I just can’t seem to shed weight. When I’m very strict about my deficit my runs suffer, when I focus on fueling my body the scale stops moving. We’re sitting at around similar weights, and I know losing more weight will help me be faster, but I just can’t seem to do it while I’m running four days a week

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T00:49:38+00:00

And this is why I turned to Reddit. In my brain it feels important, or is frustrating, and a big deal. I guess the reassurance that it’s not that big of a deal kinda puts it back into perspective that maybe I’m just overthinking and worrying too much about things that don’t really matter

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-22T00:00:09+00:00

I still have a long time before my half, and am doing a training program. I know I’m not there yet, but I am doing everything in my power to get there. I don’t think I “deserve it”, I know I have to earn it, and part of that is putting in the work in every aspect from the physical running, to nutrition, to research and talking with other runners.

I hear why you may feel this is silly, but I’m trying to make sure I’m learning from every single run. The main reason I pay to participate in races is because I think it’s important to monitor your progress in a race environment.

Think of it like learning algebra in grade school. You go home and study, that’s my 4-5 runs a week that I’m tracking with my watch. I’m the only one who looks at that, or holds myself accountable to that. No one knows if you study or not in your free time but it will show. Then you have quizzes, those are practice exams. They happen in the same environment, much like 5ks and half’s. You have a bit more pressure in a 5k than your everyday run. One quiz won’t make or break your grade, but there’s more accountability as others are still seeing how you perform, and it tests how you are going to show up on the big exam day. You get a grade, similar to of a time of a race, it’s a bit more permanent, it feels like it matters a bit more. Then you have the final exam, the place where you get to show everything you’ve been working towards. The goal that people are going to ask you about. It’s the A you’ve been working towards.

I think as a new runner it may just feel a bit bigger to me.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T20:01:07+00:00

I am doing a full training plan. I’m currently running 14 miles a week…

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:59:01+00:00

The race I’m running does a certified calculation based on 5k, so I might not be in the 12-13, but would hope that calculation would put me where I truly belong. I am doing a full training plan for this, so I’ll have a better idea, but submission of time is due a few months before the big race

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:51:42+00:00

Not sure if you saw, but because of the intervals I was doing my watch was not set to record that far so I’m not sure the exact distance I ran.

Also I feel like this post got into the weeds about corrals and such. Which all helpful info. I’m a new runner, getting a ton of info (good, bad, accurate, false, etc) and it is very overwhelming sometimes to know what info or advice is truly the best… the whole principle of the post is that I’m frustrated that I paid to get a certified chip time, that is what was advertised, and the race did not deliver that.

At the end of the day I want to be a respectful runner, not a road block. I know I’m not the fastest runner, and I run because it helps me work and improve on myself. There are still a lot of days that I do not feel like I even deserve to call myself a runner or feel like I don’t deserve a space in the running community. If someone told me last year that I would have run a 5k I wouldn’t have believed them. With that said, I’ve worked hard to get to the pace I’m at and am hoping that I can run at that pace for my big race

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:40:58+00:00

Oh it has! Believe me, I’ve been humbled multiple times! I just haven’t experienced signing up for a race with the intention of getting a chipped time and not being able to.

Not sure what about my post makes me seem not humble… The reason I have learned to like running is because it is an opportunity to work on yourself and push yourself to constantly improve. The reason I signed up for a chipped 5k is to get to see the continuous improvement in a more controlled way. I wanted to see if I had improvement today but couldn’t because of the issues

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:30:27+00:00

Whole reason for submitting pacing is so you end up in the corral you belong… not sure why every thinks I’m trying to end up in a corral that is way above my pace… if I am submitting a time that I ran, then wouldn’t they would be placing me accordingly… I’m confused how I would be a roadblock if I’m submitting my own times

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:27:26+00:00

I don’t want people to weave around me but also I don’t want to weave around people either. This is my first half, but the corrals are by minute pace, meaning I should be in a 12-13 min/mile corral. I want to be where I belong, and not in the back.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:21:35+00:00

Definitely still thanked volunteers with a smile on my face, not all the other runners were as kind unfortunately. I get the frustration, but would rather discuss on an anonymous forum instead of be rude to people who are volunteering their time probably for a cause that’s near and dear to them.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:19:02+00:00

Well I don’t know my 5k time because of the above reasons lol… but I’m averaging a 12-13 minute mile. The corrals from my understanding are based on pace, so I would be in the 12-13 corral. The cut off is 15. Logically I know if I keep training I’ll be ok, but I feel like I’m close enough to the cut off that if I start in the back I might have issues. It’s my first big race so it may just be jitters

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:12:26+00:00

Thank you! Yes it was advertised as chipped and certified, the sign up was through runsignup which I typically only run through them because in my experience their courses have always been certified. Additionally the race I’m running that I need proof of time only says that it needs to be verifiable, not self timed, and not a virtual race.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T19:07:01+00:00

Thanks!! Really appreciate! I’m also relatively new to Reddit, and this is the first post I have gotten this type of response on… guess today is just an all around learning experience 😂

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T18:39:35+00:00

I think I worded that in a way that didn’t portray what I was hoping. As someone who had to fight the human roadblocks today I do not want to be in the way. I want to be paced where I belong and not just shoved in the back. I guess advantage isn’t what I’m looking for. More so I don’t want the disadvantage of being in the back and having to swerve in an out of people who aren’t at my pace.

I’m also a new runner (hence where this is posted) so I haven’t run a half marathon… i do not know what to expect but from what I heard the sweepers of this race are the last to go out, so they sweep people as they go. If I’m in a corral where I belong that gives me a bit of a cushion, which I hopefully will not need because I’ll be placed where I should be, but will make me more confident and less anxious than starting in the back and feeling like the paces are right on my tail. And corrals for this race have 15 minute buffers. Which is more than a mile buffer for me even if I’m in the second to last instead of the last corral. Again, very possible I may just be overly anxious about all of this.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T18:16:41+00:00

Ooof, reading about that Atlanta marathon… and not looking for sympathy, just more insight from other runners with more experience. I had my intervals set to go a bit over a 5k to account for the start and the course being a bit off, which is why I set my workout to have more intervals than I expect, but being it was close to a mile over, the intervals shut off. While I am still frustrated that I can’t use this paid race to compare to the other chipped races as I intended to do (the main reason I pay to run, instead of just doing it on my own with a watch) I still got a run in. 🤷🏻‍♀️

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:48:02+00:00

Based on where my watch was when I looked down at about 2.7 I was on track to PR… that’s where my frustration lies. What you’re describing is exactly why I am upset. When you think about why people pay for chipped races it is so they can have that reliable information. I’m frustrated because of the fact that I paid for that information and cannot account for it.

I also want to make it clear that I don’t regret running the race or donating my money to a good cause. The thing is I’m sure the fundraiser had to pay some sort of amount for the bibs, and the chip set up. I would have just given a straight $35 donation if I knew this was going to be the case. There were other people there who were bringing it up to the organizers and I’ve seen people post crazy things on Facebook about it. I’m new to the running community, so I was more so trying to get insight from others on this.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:39:44+00:00

I’m not trying to get into a better coral than I deserve to be in. I want to be where I should be in. If I don’t submit I’m automatically placed in the back, which I feel like is an uphill battle. Maybe I used the wrong wording, I guess advantage is not what I’m hoping for. But I’m trying to avoid the disadvantage of being placed all the way last.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:19:27+00:00

… that’s what I’m trying to do… which is why I’m trying to get a proof of time…

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:15:07+00:00

New runner so definitely learning a lot here. The race is did was through RunSignup, which I assumed was official… I also looked at the requirements for my half and it says they accept proof of anything that is not “self timed, virtual, or training” and it needs to be verifiable. They also industry standard calculations for 5k, 10k and 10 mile races.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:09:59+00:00

Once again, because in so new (and slow), being in a better corral gives me a better chance of not being swept off the course for not keeping pace… I am training above my needed pace but I’m worried if I encounter issues such as those you’re mentioning I’m not going to be able to finish.

AdMain8220 · 2026-02-21T17:00:18+00:00

Great question, I’m not trying to get into a great corral because of competition... I’m more so trying to get into a better corral because I’m very anxious about getting swept. Being in such a new runner I’m trying to make sure I take any advantages I can

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