Aiming to win

Like most of the people on this forum I enter races for the craic, as an alternative to training on my own and to give myself targets to aim for. I never enter thinking I'm going to end up anywhere near the front (quite chuffed recently to finish in the top half of the field).

Then out training I began wondering what it might be like to enter a race with the intention of winning it (& then what it feels like to actually win). Anyone got any experience?

I remember being quite nervous before the 60 yard sprint at school sports day at middle school. But I won 4 years in a row and each time got a bar of chocolate and some fruit pastilles.

Memories a bit vague as this was 25 years ago, but was last race I actually thought I had some chance of winning.

Paula? Are you out there?

I won the sack race at Llanyravon Juniors when I was in the third year. Seem to recall feeling chuffed although it was nearly thirty years ago. Now I'm just happy to survive

I only started this whole pesky running thing as my company hold a Duathlon each year. As I've been a pretty OK cyclist I thought I should have a go, and to that intent I started running in April in preparation for the event in September.
Total running distance was only 5k split into two, before and after the bike.

It was good to aim for, because I had a realistic chance of doing well if I'd train for it. So this forced me to train quite intensively. Each session brought me faster times, and I was quietly confident on the day. Wasn;t sure about the running though, so I hid in the middle of the pack until I thought I could make a break for the end of the first run. This I did, and dropped everyone. Cocked up my transition though, and then had to catch people on the bike - which was OK. Then I just had to stay ahead on the last run of a pretty serious Triathlete on my tail. I did it though - I was in all sorts of pain at the finish and couldn't walk for a week, but it was worthwhile.
Hardly Olympic Standard, but I felt good about it !

I won my town's version of the Race for Life earlier this year (I live in Iceland and here it's called the Kvennahlaup). I found running behind the pacers on their mountainbikes quite stressful - I'm very clumsy and can't run in a straight line and kept nearly tripping over them. So I don't think I'll bother being in the lead again. Too much like hard work. And you keep expecting to be overtaken (negative thinking there).

BTW - 'cos the race was all about women's fellowship there were no prizes, no finishing tape to run through and no glory - I jut finished among the stragglers of the kids 3km fun run which had started at the same time as our 8km! I should add that I won the race through a distinct lack of competition, not through any skill, talent or speed on my part.

Liz, you have to be in to win it!
You were the best there on day & you won.

I've been fortunate enough have come second twice. First time was a local 5 miler. I was in the lead all the way and kept looking behind & was pleased to see the that the next 2 runners were about 50m behind all the way, until the last mile when one of them caught up & overtook me, I got him back on the final hill, only for him to power past me down the otherside to take the tape by a couple of feet. I was devastated. I hadn't gone out to win it but I thought I was going to.

Pizza Man, does coming second in two events at the Watford Joggers track night count? Oh and I think I won the Womens' Long Jump, that night (or was I the only woman entrant?). Oh, and I was sports girl of the year in 1978 - now that was a glorious moment, particularly the last event. It was a swimming race with me, and my younger brother, the only two left in the competition. And I beat him. HA!

Did I forget,I came third in the Bushey Quarter Marathon and won a cup (yes, had to mention it again!). I was absolutely delighted - and so what if it was a fluke, and I actually came somewhere like 74th!

Oh, I'm getting confused. The last event of Sports Girl of the year was me and Celia -again long jump. I beat her. HA! As for the race with my brother, that was some sort of school gala - but I still beat him and won the whole thing! HURRAH!

I entered a team into a fell running relay race equivalent, apparently, to ascending the height of Everest, this year. Spent the weeks leading up to the event discussing with my team mates how wasn't it fun just taking part, we didn't mind anybody taking it easy on their laps so long as they had a go etc. After a few hours it became apparent that we were neck and neck with the local boys school teams and needless to say, the urge to win immediately surged through our collective veins and we would have sacrificed blood relatives to beat them. Which we did. And it felt fantastic.

In fact the idiotic grin which graces my picture on this forum was taken during that post-race euphoria.