Now that someone’s discussing this month’s issue of Runner’s World, I have a question about last month’s. There was an advice column regarding finish line etiquette that said unless you were in line to actually win a race, it was rude to sprint past other runners at the end.
Now I agree that no one should be out there throwing elbows just to come in mid-pack of your age group. But, damned if I’m going to “politely” let the person ahead of me finish first. I’m out there to beat everyone I can, even though there will be many who ultimately finish ahead of me. Last weekend I sprinted ahead of this guy and the race pics show we were only a couple of feet apart. Was that rude? Do you think the columnist was really just talking about the “throwing elbows” scenario?
If you have the energy at the end of the race, sprint. I personally don’t care (much) about beating as many people as I can, but I care a lot about finishing as fast as I can.
So long as you’re not shoving someone out of your way, you should be trying as hard as you can to get to the finish line in a hurry.
As a rule I never try to outsprint a woman, a kid or an old person. However since I’m getting old myself I may rethink the ban on outsprinting the old guys.
I try to finish a race as quickly as I can and often “kick” in at the end. At Ralph’s Half IM I ended up flying by two people only maybe 50 feet from the finish. But thats how I ended up my run anyway, rolling by many many people the entire time and wasn’t about to slow down to be polite. I didn’t interfere with the other runners either.
Tri is an individual event and, as much as possible, the other racers are not supposed to exist. If I’ve got enough energy left in the last 3 miles or last 3 feet, I’m going to try to finish as fast as possible regardless of what others are doing.
I think the columnist would prefer us all to give everything we have throughout the entire race and not have anything left for a sprint at the finish (pretty sure Tinley wrote about it a while back too). I say what you did was totally within your right…it’s human nature to want to beat someone…especially with the finish in sight. Running with a couple of guys at a tri last year…all content to keep our pace…until the last couple hundred meters. Then, some teenager (who obviously ran faster than any of us to get to the point where we could be caught) came around the outside. One of the guys sais…screw it I’m not gonna let some young punk beat me…the other said…well you’re not leaving me behind…I just sat on their heels (silly buggers sprinted wayyy too soon) with the kid. Came time to go and we both blew by them in the finish chute. Could I have gone faster sooner? Probably. Did I win anything (other than the bunch sprint)? Nope. Were any of pissed off with the other guy for beating us? Didn’t seem that way…we were all congratulating each other for putting is such and awesome sprint. I think maybe the columnist has been nipped at the line one too many times and they just want people to stop. If sport is a metaphor for life beating as many people as you can to whatever goal you have is a human commonality. Sometimes you have to throw elbows and get right into the heat of battle to do it too. As long as you can face that person at the end of the race knowing you didn’t cheat to get there first I see nothing wrong with going hard at the line (roughing people up to do it is the exception…if you have to hurt someone or intimidate them physically to beat them you really haven’t won anything). Between you and the line everyone is fair game. You wouldn’t see the columnist bitching about sprinting ahead of the pack at the very start of an event (tell me that first quarter mile doesn’t involve a ton more elbow throwing than any finish line sprint).
The above comments aside…my most memorable sprint finish went something like this:
coming into the last 200m of a tri I ran up beside, an obviously struggling, male in another age group. It was pretty obvious that we would neither be caught by anyone else nor would we catch anyone in front of us. As we got closer I encouraged him to pick up the pace a bit and make it look good for the crowd. We got into the last 100 and he was going for all he was worth when I heard a little girl cry out from the crowd ‘go daddy you can beat him’. I don’t know if he could hear her but I sure did…and there was no way he was going to lose this sprint. He crossed the line about two strides ahead of me and his daughter came running to the finish chute to meet him all giddy that he had won. I leaned over and put my hands on my knees to make it that much better and he walked over and patted me on the back. ‘Thanks for that’ was all he said.
There are times when blowing the doors off someone at the finish. in the heat of battle, is warranted. I’d trade a dozen sprint finishes where I win…for just one more moment like this. Made everyone’s day.
There’s only pride, pride in giving it all you have
I’m proud of (few) the “sprint finishes” I have won
I am proud of the fact that I have nearly puked on the ones I did not win too.
Runner’s World (or “Gallowalker’s fuzzy-wuzzy wittle purple planet” as some would have it) is written for participants, not competitors. Maybe this makes me sound like a totally arrogant prick, and granted I’m no world-class, or rational-class, or even neighborhoor-class racer, but I am still RACING
It’s called a race for a reason. Beat someone with 2 feet to go if you can. Since when is racing about finish line pics anyway? Talk about self-involved.
Now, in the great story above, letting “daddy” win, that’s just plain good form, but…in most cases, SPRINT.
Races where I have the energy to do so - which is usually because there’s someone either right in front of or behind me - we always congratulate each other afterwards for giving the extra boost. It’s all in good fun.
I missed the article, but I think it’s funny that Runner’s World is advocating it being rude to pass someone in a race. Um, hello?
Conversation reminds me of the little leagues for kids where they don’t keep score. WTF? It is a competition and you need to learn that your compete every day, even if it is just with yourself. You need to learn to be good at winning and losing.
If you line up at any race you are there to race and be as competitive as possible and if that isn’t why you are there then save your self the money and go for a run, ride etc. on your own, do you really need another tshirt?
I actually didn’t know how far behind me he was until I saw the picture. All I knew was that I ran past him. Maybe he was sprinting too; who knows? I certainly didn’t intend to “ruin” his finish picture.
Now that’s just stupid. If you want to sprint to the finish, then sprint.
In fact, not sprinting in cost me first in my age group once last year. I had NO idea I was in first at the time, so I coasted in. another runner caught me from behind right at the finish line. I lost out by less than 1 second b/c I didn’t sprint in.
Here’s a shot of me and another racer from another club in a different race. We were pacing each other for the whole run, and when it got close, we sprinted in (http://chicagotriclub.com/photos/2003/optimist/Image-B590A8BAAA4B11D7.jpg). No, we didn’t win the race, but it was a lot of fun and we got a real chuckle out of it.
I agree that you shouldn’t run anyone over, but if you’ve got a kick left in the tank, then go for it.
My approach is that I’m there to race, but I don’t get too worked up about it. I’ll sprint my ass off if I’m in contention for some hardware, but I won’t sprint to finish 73rd rather than 75th. In races like that I’m more concerned with my time than placing, so if I have the energy to sprint I’ve done something wrong. I don’t take any pride in being able to sprint down the finishing stretch. It’s different if I’m in contention for a podium spot.
“Sprinting” is fine since this is a competetive sport, both against oneself and the other competetors, however, the only personal rule of behavior I’d like to see enforced is that any MOP finisher who gloats in any way whatsoever about “winning” a sprint must be forced to read out loud in front of those he or she “beat” the names of the 100’s of people who beat him or her. Basically, if you are far enough back in the pack that you are actually able to “sprint” past people at the end of a race, by all means go for it but you should be humble since the very fact you can do it means you are either way back in the pack or you did not pace your race properly.
