Goals, Perseverance, and Celebrating the Effort

[VictorR]

In the running community there's often a debate about the role of the back-of-the-packers.

Quite often, in my opinion, they're there not because of lack of training, but because they just happened to be on the wrong side of the bell curve in terms of innate talent. If anything, they've had to contend with much more to get to the start line, and then to endure to the finish line. And they do so knowing that there's no prize money, that it's possible that some aid stations may be low or out of supplies, that the finish line might already be taken down, and goodies all given away. They are completing the distance quite often for no one but themselves, and not only do they not get the cheers and support that the faster racers benefit from, they may endure abuse. But they persevere anyways, and that is the true spirit of sport.

 

[Mia]

I agree Victor, there is something to be said for simply running or cycling for the joy and/or sometimes pain of it. And for not doing it to win, only wanting to finish. I've never understood the idea of competing to win, as when I do sports I do them to challenge myself. What others think does not matter to me.

 

[Sherlock77]

Some people just seem to be very competitive in anything really... I recently heard a photographers talk, one of his pieces of advice to not care about competing (which beings in the idea of comparison) but to keep doing it for the love of the craft

Back to running... Years ago now I photographed a running event, and I remember one lady who was fairly overweight, probably the slowest runner in the field, yet... I know that she had a time goal for how fast to complete the race, and that alone was a victory for her

I suspect people who are elite athletes (even as amateurs) are far more driven by the idea of winning, some are so driven that even finishing second isn't good enough for them... But I think those people are in the minority, most runners I know typically have a time goal, or even a goal just to cross the finish line...

Sports at least has clear markers to indicate success (whatever that means), it's far trickier in the art world where if I don't place in a competition I rarely find how close I was to even getting honourable mention... Was I the person who at first glance they immediately rejected it, or was I extremely close to getting a ribbon... It's just a big mystery...

 

[Aspychata]

This seems to be a adequate description of my life. You have described my life and careers as simply a-back-of-the packers. When you see the odds as skewed in favor of those with connections and or money, then l stepped to the back. Better yet l will just sit down and watch the rest of them struggle. But running is more of you against yourself. You argue everyday that you can no longer run but then you do it one more time and surprise yourself.