The other day, I was talking to a runner who had just signed up for his first race. One of the things he said was “…as long as I am not last…” – which I hear from a lot of runners when they are talking about racing or giving reasons why they don’t want to enter races.
While it’s true that I have never come last in a race, I do know a thing or two about the subject, having come 6th last and 4th last in two very small races, and 11th last in an extremely large one (seriously, they were taking the finish line down when I got there). And guess what? It’s no big deal.
First of all, the chances that you actually will be last are rather slim. Just like first, only one person can come last. The odds of it being you are therefore 1:however many people have entered. If you’re that concerned, check out the past results for races you’re considering to get an idea of where you might place. If it looks like you really could be last and you feel like that would be worse than that dream where you’re wandering the halls of your high school for hours before you realize you are stark naked, look for a bigger race.
If by some chance you do finish last in a race, the only person who cares is – you guessed it – you. Everyone still cheers; no one points and laughs. No one is going to look at you in the grocery store or at the next race and say “hey, aren’t you the schmuck who came last in that race?”
When you think about it, “last” is a relative term. You may be the final person to step over that particular finish line on that particular day. But you know what? In the absolute sense, you are so far from last it’s not even measurable. You are ahead of all of the people who had to drop out (I’ve done that too!), didn’t race that day, and the people who don’t race at all. The people who haven’t gotten off the couch yet? You’re way ahead of them – at least by weeks, but more likely months, years, or even a lifetime.
So lace up and give it a go – you might find it’s addictive! If that’s the case, you may never need to buy another t-shirt for yourself again!
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Great post, Karen! My mother had a lot of anxiety around this before her first race. I told her that 1) it’s unlikely and 2) even if it happens, no one will care but I think her anxiety was only alleviated when she actually did it. Best way to deal with a fear is to confront it.
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