I reread "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall a few weeks ago. I love and believe the above quote. Watching the NYC marathon Sunday, or standing at the starting line with hundreds or thousands of other people, and then watching all the runners being cheered on as they finish even many hours later, you feel this. Except for the elite professionals actually vying for prize money, the rest of us are there to compete only with ourselves, and to be with each other....our tribe.
I watched the very last NYC Marathon runners finishing in the rain, in the dark, hours after the start, and there were still a small crowd of people there to cheer them in. Talk about inspiring!! I can't find the quote right now, but John "The Penguin" Bingham ("The Courage to Start") referred to when, in his first race, people cheered for him, and he cried because in real life, that doesn't happen.
“The only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.” ― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Watch this clip if you can without crying. I'm not crying, you're crying. Last but not least.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000005536980/last-but-not-least-at-the-new-york-marathon.html?smid=fb-share
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