Avoiding the Competition

No corner of the world has so many road races as New England. On any weekend of the year -- even in the dead of winter -- an intrepid runner can find a race, and in summer the calendar is filled to bursting with opportunities to run.

For example, coolrunning.com lists no fewer than ten road races taking place in Massachusetts today. The president of my running club compiled a list of 25(!) organized, advertised road races taking place in New England on July 4th.

Surprisingly, given the number of events, there's almost always decent competition at these race. Seek out the smallest town, the most obscure race, and you are still likely to run into someone fast. That's a testament to the overall depth of talent in these parts and the enthusiasm for the sport.

In fact, it's kind of surprising when you show up at a race and you don't encounter fast guys. Occasionally, the competition goes elsewhere and you pick up a trophy because all the fast guys were chasing money somewhere else. I used to write a feature for my club web site called "The Cheap Win of the Week" in which I highlighted the victories of club members in races too insignificant to attract the notice of the racing elite.

It never struck me as anything but amusing that one would sometimes achieve a kind of questionable glory by beating weak competition, but apparently even tainted glory is better than none. A friend sent me a link to a bizarre article from the Wall Street Journal that describes how some triathlon competitors spend hours researching races to identify the ones with the least competition. Aided by the Internet, they avoid events in which they would be buried by the big boys and girls.

It seems like a lot of trouble to me. I mean, wouldn't it be easier to hold your own road race, in your own neighborhood? You could invite your neighbors (well, only the ones who pose no threat to your eventual triumph), and at the end award yourself a medal. At the end of the day, you could call in your times to the newspaper, and if there aren't enough finishers, you can make up some names -- the way they used to do for the Saturday races at Fresh Pond. (Oops, I shouldn't have let that slip.)

On the other hand, a win is a win, right?

Well, no, it isn't. Because winning (or losing) against real competition is invigorating, stimulating, while avoiding competition is bloodless and weakens, rather than strengthens one's toughness and resolve. Don't be tempted by the easy path. Those trophies are only plastic, after all.