Daily Question

ooh, its a tuff one... it'd have to depend on the award....

if it was a nice new tri bike... i'd obviously have to slow down a bit...
but in most all other cases... i'd have to make the other BOPer work for 2nd to last place (or at least i'd like to think so)

No question, suck it up and finish second to last. Unless it's like a new car or something ;-) . I don't think I could ever bring myself to do anything less than my best on that particular day. Isn't that what we train for?

Interesting question though.

Chris

Very interesting question... I too, think I'd race it to the end...

Interesting question... I would have to agree with Chris, I don't think I could look at my self in the mirror knowing that I threw the race for a superficial reason. I think that completely goes against everything we train for. I'm feeling a little quizy just thinking about it, if I didn't give 110% in a race that I trained hard for, then what am I doing it for? Now on the other hand, if I was giving it my best and the other guy was too, and I still finished last, then I'd be okay with accepting the prize. :-)

Hey Madcow,
I would grind it out to get over that finish line first. No question - I don't care what the prize is, my prize is always personal best.

I'd totally throw the race and take the goodies. In most races, finishing place is less important to me than finishing time (I'm not usually anywhere near the award winners), so I'd be willing to be last. It would only cost a few seconds to let the other guy cross the line first, unless he has the same plan as me. Those few seconds are worth a prize, and the difference between last and second to last is negligible to me.

-dave

Don't you ever let people slip in ahead of you at the chute when you're in a big finishing pack, knowing that you all had a good race, and maybe even worked together to keep the pace? I see it all the time, except for the most competitive athletes. I think there's a point where finishing place doesn't really matter.

-dave

In my mind, I think I would slow down and take the prize. However, I know how competitive I am and I know that I would actually give it everything I had not to finish last. Heck, I have a hard time letting my 7 yr old win at board games.

Besides, most every race I have done had wave starts, and I have never been able to keep track of what wave other's started in. Knowing my luck, I would slow down to finish last only to find out that the guy I was running with started 3 minutes before me.

What would happen if both of you were trying to finish last? Then you would have a real race. I would definitely do my best to not finish last.

Easy, I would throw the race and get the prize. No shame here!

Couldn't do it...if it happened of it's own accord, so be it...but I couldn't tank...what if somebody was betting on me finishing 2nd last, in Vegas??? Don't want to be in the middle of a 'time shaving' scandal...! :-)

I would try to cross the finish line first.

Completely depends on the prize. ;-)

my character says I'd push to come in 2nd to last. But dang if they were dangling a REALLY good prize in front of me, I'd probably fold. But it would have to be good... I mean, hey, if I'm going to sell out my character, I wouldn't do it for cheap!!

(o:

D

what's BOPer? I keep seeing it but have no clue what is stands for....

(b)ack (o)f the (p)ack!

(o:

D (aslo where you find me)

Edited by dhlundblad 2004-08-11 2:19 PM

OHHHH!!! Thanks!! Now I won't be so confused!

Have a great day!!

Do they really do that? Give away prizes for last place? I've been going about this all wrong!

Ain't no friggin way I am slowing up on purpose. If I lose, I lose, but it will not be on purpose!!!!

Don't care what the award is! Unless it is maybe a PB&J !!! :-O

Edited by Cavu9 2004-08-11 7:58 PM

No prize in the world is worth me having to look myself in the mirror and know that I didn't do my best. No hesitation here. Let the loser get the prize. I'll never be last if I could help it. Last week at my swim/run race the race was full of ridiculously fast runners who were on their second 5K before I was finished with my first. But as I trotted to the finish line I heard the announcer say, "You're not going to let them beat you are you?" I whipped my head around to see a few stragglers left and boy I began to burn rubber like I was a Kenyan running the Boston Marathon. I hauled some ass. Didn't even know I had it in me. There was no way I was going to come in last even though I'm a perpetual BOPer. Now you tell me, someone who does that throw a race? I don't think so.

I'd stay in the race and give it my best for all kinds of reasons: 1) If I threw the race, I'd never know what my time to beat for that day is. 2) Training is too hard to not know what I got out of it. 3) Would it pass the "can I explain it to my kids" test? Nope. 4) Maybe this is because I've spent most of the last 40 years ridiculously unhealthy and out of shape, but I hope I never look at the results of giving my best effort to finish a tri as "nothing".

#1 Who'd want an award for being last? The "win" is in finishing.
#2 Who'd take all that training, throw it aside and slow down just to be recognized as the one who's last? This is completely contrary to the whole reason for being there in the first place. I don't want that award. That's not the way I want to reward myself for all of my hard work.
#3 How insulting would that be to the person behind you?

Not to get too philosophical, but this just seems like a strange hypethetical to begin with.

I would be second to last. I couldn't bring myself go slower than I was capable of.