Have you ever been first in an event?

We have the great thread about coming last, which I could contribute to, but I cannot imagine winning a race or a category, have you? Was it awesome? Or did you feel lucky? Have you got the bug and want more victories, or is that it? 

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Comments

  • Won 2 out of 3 club races, when I was a lad.  Was about 5 miles and I took them out by well over a minute.  Nobody even spoke to me.  Decided the club scene wasn't for me.

    Won the weekly village ski race once (on holiday).  Was quite happy with that, since it was my first week skiing.  My strategy was full attack and risk all.  It worked.

    It's all gone really wrong since then.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Yes, it took me ten years to win a race, and was out of about 700 runners when I did.

     I ran the race expecting the usual unknown winners to go haring off, and it never happened. I ran along for a couple of hundred yards before thinking I might be able to go a bit faster, so I did. No one followed.

    Thought someone must have made a mistake letting me sneak off so at every corner where I was out of sight I put in more effort, still no one.

    It was a 5 mile race and along the final 2 mile stretch I spent most of the time looking back expecting some speed merchant to chase me down for a laugh. It was pure agony, the combination of desperate effort and fear of capture.

    Its slightly unsettling since you are being chased by everyone else. The idea of being caught pushes you on. It must take a few victories to take the lead as routine.

    So I won. The novelty lasted no time at all. Especially when someone remarked, 'Obviously no one fast turned up'.

    A serial winner of races said one day, 'When you win a race, you are the race.

    🙂

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Faith: haha, or awwww image

    RicF: great post image 

  • I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to... win!

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    Nice descriptive post Rick

    I won a raffle once. I felt it was luck.

     

  • NayanNayan ✭✭✭

    I finished first once. She was very understanding about it though. 

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Cum on is that the best you can do? image

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    I just did. image

    I won 20 quid and a dodgy bottle of chardonnay.

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    I've crossed the line first in a few, er, non-races (handful of parkruns and a men's Race4Life 5k) but also won a couple of proper ones, the most satisfying being the Ranelagh Richmond Half Marathon, partly for the size of the field (728 finishers) but also because it was a County champs (for which I didn't qualify... d'oh!)  A great feeling to be running in a lead group which slowly whittled down from about 7-8 to 2 of us with a couple of miles to go, then managing to pull away and have the guy on the lead bike encouraging me along to the finish line.  2nd and 3rd might have given me a better race if they hadn't both run the London Marathon exactly two weeks earlier.  image

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    Get in Lit!  image

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Phil - mine was a county championship and I timed my imminent move to the Frozen North for the day after to make sure I would qualify!

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    I won a local 10k last year. I was lucky on 2 counts.

    1. There was quite a high profile 10k on the same day so most of the top local runners were doing that. I chose the race as i could use it as part of my marathon training. Get a lift there, run the race and then run the 14 miles home to make a 20 miler.



    2. The second piece of luck was that the marshals were rubbish and sent the leading 2 or 3 runners the wrong way at the first turning.



    I was expecting to finish in the top 5 but to win felt a bit like a hollow victory, especially as one of the guys that got sent the wrong way kicked up a hell of a stink at the end. So I just sloped off without my prize. I later received it in the post.
  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    I won a local 10k last year and there weren't any bloody prizes. I was a bit indignant, to be honest. It was the first time I'd won anything except I hadn't.

  • Yes as a track middle distance runner and a few road races.

    It felt goodimage

  • Jen HartJen Hart ✭✭✭

    I got a QoM (queen of the mountains) for this years BHF London to Brighton (the complete route) on Strava, although the fact that it was on Strava says it all really! 

  • StiltsStilts ✭✭✭

    I came first in my age category at a local HM this morning - took me a while to figure out what the 1 beside my name was - well exciting image

  • I've won and placed at loads of age category races, am almost always on the podium because there are not many women triathletes in the older age groups! Not sure why but I have a theory that 20 years ago or so, those women of child-bearing age probably hadn't done much sport if any, and now feel like they couldn't. I've tried to get others involved but mostly they are afraid of the swim. I was 42 when I did my first triathlon - but I had been a runner since childhod.

  • Jen HartJen Hart ✭✭✭

    Stilts and BI, lots of respect!

  • BookyBooky ✭✭✭

    I was first lady in a 5K race once. There were about 300 people and we were all dressed as Santa image 

  • I won a half marathon a few months back ( my first win in a proper race!) and was talking to a local journalist afterwards who told me that there was no point in me running half-marathons, that I should get back to the track instead because 'who wants to win a half marathon when the standard of the competition is pretty low'

  • I won the Dartmoor vale marathon a couple of years ago (v small race with about 150 runners)

    What was very surreal was being led by the guide vehicle, a large 4x4 driving 20m ahead of me at all times. I was completely alone for most of the race (won by 20 minutes in the end) apart from this truck.

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    I won the local santa dash Dec 12. The marshalls were useless and the guy in front of me (by some 200m) somehow missed all the signs and went the wront way cutting 1.5k out of a 5k. He would have won and was claiming victory until i made a fuss!!

    He then made a fuss and given there was no actual prize and the old ladies from the hospice were looking a touch uncomfortable I suggested that as he would have won I would accept joint first place!

  • I did a 20 miler night race in the beacons in winter........the weather was horrendous and you had to navigate.......

    not a lot of women doing the event about  a dozen.....made it to the last checkpoint when I knew there were several women in front of me........

    we could follow any route back to the finish.I chose the longer route as I knew in the torrential rain the other would probably be very difficult to navigate.....

    when i got to the finish they told me I was first female.........I instantly told them I wasn't ......I then discovered the rest had tried following the shorter routes home......

     

     I got the trophy image

  • I love that your story has a moral to it Seren image 

    I've just started creeping my way into top 10's (literally,10th lady, twice). This is excitement enough for the moment. I think I would explode with excitement if I won anything outright, and insist on giving a really long speech where I thank everyone I have ever known, while crying. 

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    In over 300 hundred races I won 3. A 3 mile in Battersea Park, not sure where the faster runners were that time, as I certainly wouldn't have won it normally.  An 11  mile cross country/road race against faster runners BUT they had a lot less stamina over the country than I obviously did - it helped as well that a runner from another club followed me down a single country lane in his car as he thought I had worked so hard I deserved the win.

    Finally a 4 mile fun run in Dagenham - the organiser announced the course was marked out but follow him (pointing at me) as I would win it!!!!  I did but took a wrong turn and had to retrace my steps and catch the others up.

    Yep it does feel good.

  • Fido2DogsFido2Dogs ✭✭✭
    3 years ago I decided to wind down from Comrades by expanding my collection of medals to cover each distance, and not having a medal for a 5k ( turned out the Chilterns Chase short race is more 5.4k!) I entered a race in Swindon which was advertised as 5k and medals for finishers. Turned up and not many other women (not many folk full stop) 5? ...but that lass over there looked reasonably speedy. Anyhoo once they said GO I shot off after the blokes and Fit Lass just shuffled along. Then spent the next 26 odd minutes puffing like a steam train and looking behind me. I was first lady (out of 5...) and won a teddy. So you never know!
  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Hehehe I should be so lucky Fido image 

  • I won, or tied for first (depending on your view of the dodgy officiating) in the dads race at my sons sports day if that counts. Pretty epic as my boys friends were chanting ''Allan! Allan! Allan!'' at the start then going bonkers when I won.

    Pretty even field, some in it for the lol factor but a few of us thought we had a decent chance so it got serious image unlike the mums race which was all giggles.

    I missed this years through work so I didn't get to defend my 1'st place sticker.

    2015 will be mine once again.

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