By Scott Cacciola

Erik Sowinski had one job earlier this month on the Millrose Games in New York: to run a half-mile, or about 800 meters, in 1 minute, 53 seconds.

Before the race, Sowinski skilled his traditional butterflies, an electrical mixture of nerves and pleasure that signaled it was time to carry out. Sure sufficient, Sowinski instantly bolted to the entrance of a 13-man subject earlier than an enthusiastic crowd on the Armory in Washington Heights.

As he circled the 200-meter observe, Sowinski often peered over his left shoulder. Behind him had been Olympians and world-championship finalists who, in a twist, had been relying on Sowinski to keep up his lead. And after a half-mile, his first-place cut up flashed on the video board: 1:52.99.

But Sowinski, who would later nitpick his effort as “a little quick,” didn’t win. In reality, he didn’t even end. After operating yet one more lap for good measure, he stepped off the observe to cede the highlight to the athletes behind him. They had been operating the mile.

Sowinski, 33, is aware of how unusual it sounds, to be one of the best on this planet at dropping out. But such is the lifetime of an expert pacer, and nobody, in response to these most aware of his handiwork, does it higher.

“The faster the pace, the more there is that can go wrong,” mentioned Yared Nuguse, a rising star who adopted Sowinski on the Millrose Games earlier than setting an American report for the indoor mile, ending in 3:47.38. “You really need the right person for that job.”

Sowinski has spent latest weeks crisscrossing the globe to tempo — or rabbit, within the vernacular of observe and subject — at high-profile indoor meets in Germany, Sweden and Spain. He paced two races on the identical day in Boston. He then made a cameo in Boulder, Colorado, the place he lives (in principle), for a exercise with the On Athletics Club earlier than returning to the East Coast to rabbit in New York. Four days later, Sowinski was in France to tempo a 1,500-meter race gained by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic champion.

“I think it’s a little more enjoyable for my mother,” Sowinski mentioned. “When I used to race, she would show up to my meets and be too nervous to even watch. Now, she sort of knows what will happen.”

Sowinski, who grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and was a five-time All-American on the University of Iowa, nonetheless enjoys competing when doable. A 3-time nationwide champion, he completed third within the 800 meters on the world indoor championships in 2016. He has dipped beneath 1:48 — a kind of demarcation line for elite health — a complete of 166 occasions, in response to knowledge collected by David Monti of Race Results Weekly.

Few middle-distance runners have ever been extra constant. The uncommon runner who has prevented critical damage, Sowinski cites a regimented before-bed routine that features his use of a foam curler.

“I’ve never missed more than a couple days in a row from any type of injury,” he mentioned.

And because of over a decade of shuttling from airport to airport, he has greater than 1 million frequent-flyer miles that he has by no means redeemed. (Someday, he mentioned.)

He is lacking one factor, nevertheless: a sponsor. Sowinski has been trying to find a shoe deal since his contract with Brooks led to 2020. Meet administrators pay him — Sowinski declined to quote particular figures — however pacing is just not a profitable career.

“I’d love to do this for another year or two, but I need to figure something out,” he mentioned.

Oddly sufficient, few runners are extra seen. Sowinski is assured to steer the sphere for the primary half of practically each race that he enters, and plenty of of them are televised.

The apply of pacing has its critics. On the game’s greatest phases — on the Olympics and on the world championships, for instance — there aren’t any pacers, which signifies that opponents are answerable for the tempo themselves. It takes somebody with guts to dash to the entrance and set an sincere tempo for the remainder of the sphere. In these races, ways slightly than flat-out pace performs a bigger position in securing a win or a private finest.

To purists, rabbit-free racing is actual racing. Author Pat Butcher makes that case in his e book “The Perfect Distance,” which particulars the rivalry between milers Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Pacers, Butcher writes, are ruining athletics “because they are effectively being paid to lose.” A brand new phenomenon? Hardly. Butcher’s e book was revealed in 2005.

In different phrases, pacers are usually not going wherever — particularly within the present period of tremendous spikes and tremendous tracks, twin items of expertise which have helped milers run even quicker. Athletes wish to chase information. Fans wish to watch them do the unthinkable. And meet administrators are glad to oblige.

As a full-time 800-meter runner, Sowinski by no means needed to fear a lot about tempo or ways because the occasion is mainly an exaggerated dash. He might flip his mind off.

“You’re just going out there and kind of dying,” he mentioned.

The mile is totally different, extra measured. Runners equivalent to Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen need even, constant laps. And there may be stress on the pacer to get it proper. Go out too arduous, and an oxygen-deprived subject might blow aside. Go out too sluggish, and the race might flip right into a visitors jam.

“You want to be able to deliver for those guys,” mentioned Olli Hoare, an elite miler who has dabbled in pacing for teammates at longer distances. “What Erik does is a gift.”

Sowinski hopes he has extra alternatives forward of him.

“It’s never felt like work,” he mentioned, “and it still doesn’t.”

This article initially appeared in The New York Times.