The Courage of Finishing Last
The New York City Marathon was last month and you know the videos that make me cry the most on TikTok? It’s not of the finishers who finished first, or the ones who finished somewhere in the middle or even of the people finishing their first marathon ever. Although I love all of those!
The videos that make me cry ugly tears are those of the last finishers. Many of these people are older, have physical limitations; some are pushing wheelchairs of people who have physical limitations and most are crying themselves. But it’s not just watching them that makes me tear up, it’s the whole scene. It’s all of the people who stayed late to make sure that they didn’t just see the people who finished first, but also (and maybe more importantly) those that finished last. They made sure to cheer just as loud, if not louder for the people who finished last as they did for those who finished first. They stayed to make sure that those people were not alone as they crossed the finish line.
The reason that it is so emotional is because it takes so much grit and determination and self love and self discipline to finish a race that you know you are coming in last for. It's so much more inspiring to me, so much more so than even the people who finished first or finished in the middle.
Don’t get me wrong–finishing at all is something to be proud of. The amount of time and energy and money and training that goes into competing in a marathon is incredible and everyone who took part should be proud. Anyone who finishes any race should be proud whether you met your personal best time or it was your worst time. Any race finished was a raced finished well but the people who finish last; they went in, most of them, knowing that they would finish last and they still signed up and they still paid and they still trained and they still woke up early that day and they still started the race with everyone else and then they watched EVERYONE pass them. 59,000 people to be exact.
To watch that many people pass you, you watch it get dark and you’re still on the course, knowing people finished hours ago and are back home or at their hotels, and to keep going anyway. To ignore the overwhelming feeling to stop or give up or pray no one is waiting for you seeing how many people are passing you must be harder sometimes than the race itself.
So why are these videos so popular on Tiktok to watch? Because it’s so inspiring to watch someone who knows they’re finishing last; do it anyway.
We can all relate to feeling ‘last’. I think that’s why it is so inspiring to watch other people do something where they finish last. Most of us wouldn’t sign up for something where we would knowingly finish last. Most of us cannot stand that we are behind other people in various ways. Not married by ____ age, not a mother/father by ____ age, not a homeowner by _____age, not done with school by _______, not making _____ amount of money. The list goes on and on. We compare ourselves to others in almost every respect of our lives and we will always see people doing ‘better’ than us. We see people in their 50th chapter and decide not to even open the book because someone else is further along. But that’s no reason not to try. Those people who finished the marathon last are still way ahead of me and every person who has never even started. Looking ahead to gain inspiration from others is one thing but seeing where someone else is and deciding it is impossible for you, is really more heartbreaking than finishing last by a long shot!
So when I say this to you, I am saying it to myself too, do the thing. Start it. You are not too old or poor or busy. You are not less special than anyone else. You are not less smart, less talented, less able. That is a lie. Try for what you want because even if you finish last, you are still so far ahead of people who didn’t start and you will have people cheering so loudly for you! And watching you, even if you finish behind someone else, is inspiring someone who won’t even try!
If this is your season to start slowly, start anyway.
