The good deed of being last

Sometimes you can end up in a situation where you definitely are the least able athlete. In every event, someone is last. It does not have to mean they are out of their depth; they can be the slowest person in a strong field. The world championship for example, even the lowest place competitor is a great athlete.

As I am older, I have to accept that I may be the slowest athlete sometimes. But I have a rule; I never sign up for anything where I think there is a risk I will become a burden to the organizers or other competitors. I make sure that I am adequately prepared for every event I enter. Noone should for example sign up for an Ironman without a long period of training beforehand.

But still, an Ironman may be in your capacity, you just know that you will be far behind the winner. Maybe they don't offer your age group and you have to compete against younger athletes. Don't let the worry about being last stop you. I have seen people being so worried about being last that they miss out on great experiences.

Think like this: someone has to be last in every event. If you take on that role, someone else is not having to be last, it is a good deed! The audience usually like the last person completing a race, you may receive a lot of cheering. You may be last, but you were better than every single person that did not turn up.

Just save this experience for exceptional occasions, don't make it a habit.