Whats the difference between an open and closed category in a running event?

Question

I want to sign up for a local half marathon run and I'm not sure if I should join the open or closed event cause I'm not sure of the difference. Someone please enlighten me

Answer 1

if you arent a super competitor join the open race.  It is for non competitive runners.

Answer 2

the open is for any body no age limit nothing you can walk up and run in it. the closed category is only for a select group of people. like in a cross country meet, the varsity race is closed only people on the teams competing can run, some times the JV race is open and if you are there you can walk to the starting line and run it. hope i helped you

Answer 3

i'm guessing you are referring to open and closed corrals?

closed corrals are for people who have qualified. so, for example, elite runners and just really fast every day runner.

you could probably get into a closed corral if you've run a half marathon faster than 1:40 or 1:35. the race's website should tell you.

this is just for the starting line. they do it so the faster runners are closer to the front. it's annoying for the fast runners to be stuck in the back because the people around them might run a slower place. it's difficult to find a clear space to run in and run at your own pace in that situation.

just hop into the open corral. if you run fast enough, you can qualify for a closed corral for your next half marathon. you need a copy of your results to qualify.

i hope this is what you meant by open and closed. sorry if not!

Answer 4

Open is for anyone to join and closed is where they only accept a certain amount of people and they are probably the elite runners. For example, in a cross country meet the top 7 runners run in the closed meet and then the other runners on the team just run in the open. There might be certain qualifications that you have to meet in order to compete for the closed competition. If you are a beginner you should probably choose the open race. If you feel that you are in great shape and you qualify then you can do the open race. Good Luck at your half marathon!