Embracing Being Competitive as a Mid to Back of the Packer

When you hear the word “competitive” as it relates to being a runner, what do you think? I’d be willing to bet that you probably thought of professional runners, sub elites, those who are at the front of the pack in races that you attend, or men. And I’d be willing to bet that you’re not alone in this thinking.

But what about those of us who aren’t doing this professionally, aren’t winning races or aren’t what society deems as “fast”? We can still be competitive in the middle or back of the pack.

Living near Boulder, a running mecca full of many professional, elite and just downright fast runners, it sometimes feels weird to consider myself a “competitive runner.” In relation to many of the runners I see, I’m not competitive….with them.

Being competitive merely means having a strong desire to be more successful than others or being as good as or better than others of a comparable nature. It’s all too common that folks assume those running slower times are just racing for fun or are just getting into running. It’s time we stop assuming only faster runners are and can be competitive and embrace the competition within ourselves.

I personally love racing 5Ks. I’m not out there breaking records – hell, I’m not even anywhere close to my PR anymore! But as soon as I get to the start line of a race, it’s go time. I want to beat everyone around me, especially other women who look like they’re in my age group. End up in the finish chute next to me? Get ready for a sprint to the death (er, finish line). Embracing my competitive side makes racing so much more fun for myself, and on the rare occasion, I get an age group award as a nice bonus.

You can be competitive at any pace, no matter where you finish in a race. Even if you don’t have the desire to beat those around you like I do, you can be competitive with yourself and want to improve over time or across races.

To me, being competitive runner comes down to a handful of qualities and desires:

• Working day in and day out to improve yourself as a runner
• Prioritizing and committing to your training
• Being in it for the long haul
• Caring deeply about running
• Viewing running as part of your lifestyle

Notice how pace, race times, and race results are not in that list. I bet these qualities describe a lot of you reading who may not have previously thought of yourself as a “competitive runner.”

While we’re on the topic, competitiveness also seems to be reserved for men, or at the very least, associated more with men over women. How often do we hear female competitors talk openly about their desire to win or do well at a race? It feels more acceptable for men to talk that way but not women. We can want to crush our competition while also respecting and liking them. 

Like I said before, wanting to win or do well isn’t a personal slight against your competition nor are you being “mean” or “aggressive” for wanting to do your best. It’s an innate desire to perform at the best of your ability on the day, and a big reason many of us choose to race. Plus the more competitive we and those around us are, the higher we raise the bar. Competition is a gift that pushes us to reach our potential.

When we view ourselves as non-competitive runners, we’re leaving a lot on the table in terms of our running performance. We deserve everything that is typically associated with elites or the front of the pack: prioritizing and being invested in our training, wanting to improve, working with a run coach, physical therapist, dietitian or sports psychologist.

I’ve felt guilty before about caring so much about my running and having it high on my list of priorities because I’m not an elite or doing this for money, so shouldn’t I prioritize other aspects of my life above running? Especially running at a D1 school in college to now being pretty average, I’ve sometimes felt like I should “grow out” of being so obsessed with running and racing.

Now I know that’s BS. I’m a competitive person and that comes out in my running when I race. And I love that. I love how running is a part of my daily life and that I’m striving to be better. I love that I want to beat everyone around me at the end of a local 5K. I love that there’s so many ways to be competitive with running, no matter what kind of runner we are.

So to those of you who run in the middle or the back of the pack, you can be competitive. To all the women reading, you can be competitive. 

And if we end up in a race together one day, running towards the finish line, I hope you try to beat me as I try to beat you. And then we can celebrate each other’s performance after we cross the finish line.