Am I the only one who has never won a race, even an age group?

Honest Runner wrote:

I'll admit it. I've never won a race. I've never even won my age group. Finished second once, but that's as close as I've come.

Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

No. There are TONS here who have never won a race, though I think the percentage of race winners here is higher than you might imagine. Usually only runners with some success actually want to continue talking about it. When you add up all the high school runners, all the college runners, all the road races out there, then usually it's not too hard to find a race to win in there somewhere.

If people are to be believed here, there are lots of runners here faster than I ever was, and I was a race winner and large meet champion in high school, college and beyond.

For those who ran in small schools in high schools, winning races should been even easier.

I NEVER WON AN oa either, but probably don't deserve to having a pr of 1751(1733 on short course?). It bothers me but i try to remember that i can only control myself and not who is out there too. internal goals are less frustrating than external ones.

Multi time finalist never a tapebreaker after HS.

I remember my first 6-7 years and never winning any awards. Not even 3rd in my age group. I always thought how cool that would be to win one. But I was only a 6:50 pace for 5 kind or guy through those years. Then I upoed my milage and got my times down to 6:30 pace and eventually sub-6's now on occasion. I've won 2 small races and I think 1, 2nd place and many 3rd and 4th place. I usually win top 3 in my age group now unless it's a real big event. Now I know what all the other runners meant when they said winning medals and trophies was no big deal although I still like to win them. I do have a shoe box full of medals and several trophies. Even a few gc. Keep at it you'll get there.

I have won so many f***ing races.

This is my first year of running. No wins yet, only a 2nd place age group finish. About to go sub-20 in the 5K on <30 mpw.

I won a very small 5k in 19:07 a few months after I started running. At the time, I thought I was on the way to continual improvement and lots more wins.

Since then, it's been about 9 years and I have improved to 16:15-16:30, but I've never won another race after that first fluke.

phatkins wrote:

I NEVER WON AN oa either, but probably don't deserve to having a pr of 1751(1733 on short course?). It bothers me but i try to remember that i can only control myself and not who is out there too. internal goals are less frustrating than external ones.

You just need to pick your races a little better. I once won a race with an 18:something. It was a VERY small race in it's first year. The course had a ton of sharp turns and was not marked very well. I was in 17 min shape but it only took an 18:XX to win.

And NO, I didn't enter the race just to win. It was ambarrassing, but funny, to tell my friends about my victory. That will probably be my last.

I u

depends. I've won f/s miles indoors, but those were ran at the same time as varsity. So I would come in like 6th, but have won. If that doesn't count, I haven't either....

I won the 2nd heat of the JV outdoor mile my first year of running, never won another race. Last year I THOUGHT I won a race but I was 3rd, 2 people had taken off from the pack and beat everyone else by over 15 seconds in an indoor mile. They were seeded in the wrong heat.

Honest Runner wrote:

I'll admit it. I've never won a race. I've never even won my age group. Finished second once, but that's as close as I've come.

Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

You must be really bad at picking races. Some road races in my town are laughably uncompetitive. Showing up almost guarantees an age group trophy.

If you don't count relays, it took me almost 7 years of running to win a race. It was a 5k on the track and I ran 15:07.

This is a good thread.

I've only won one race in 17:59 (local small road race in a small Texas town) in my life when I was 20 years old.

I think I won my first age group medal, 3rd 19-Under, when I was a Sophomore in High School. (I actually got 3rd in an Age Group when I was 10 years old, but doesn't count).

I won my first age group at a small 5K where I was one of two in the age group, so I don't count that one. Other than that I'm not sure if I have won any age groups. I'm sure I've gotten at least one or two, but I don't remember.

I've won a bunch of races, and I'm slow, but they were really small races. I haven't won a race yet that had more than 100 finishers. I have, however, won my age group in larger races. Not much to brag about, but better than nothing.

If you can run a 5K in under 20 minutes, you can find a small 5K to win. It might take a few shots, but it'll happen eventually.

I have won several small races. They were typically local 5Ks or 10Ks with less than 100 runners. I think that I once won a 10K running 39 minutes and change. My PR is in the mid 34s so that was not much of a race for me. I have only once PRed in a win and that was in my second to last high school race in the two mile. Set my high school's record (that has since been broken).

It has been awhile since I won a race outright but I did win my age division three times in 2007.

I enjoyed winning the races that I have won but I am more proud of my PRs and of just being a runner than most of my wins. That said, my high school two mile win that set a school record is a race that I am extremely proud of.

i'm a state champion.

phatkins wrote:

It bothers me but i try to remember that i can only control myself and not who is out there too. internal goals are less frustrating than external ones.

This is what losers say.

Dingler wrote:

phatkins wrote:

It bothers me but i try to remember that i can only control myself and not who is out there too. internal goals are less frustrating than external ones.

This is what losers say.

"Only losers wine about trying their best. Winners go home and bang the prom queen."