“Every race has its winner, but what about those who cross the finish line long after the leaders come home? Coming last is far from a failure... in fact, it has its very own sense of glory. When he founded the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Frédy (Baron de Coubertin) said: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” For many athletes who give so much to win on the biggest sporting stages in the world, the idea that participation trumps winning is hopelessly romantic and fundamentally untrue. However, for most of the rest of us, it underpins why we run. But what about coming absolutely last? Can that ever be a badge of honour? Or is it always imbued with a sense of shame? To illustrate the latter attitude, there is a tale – likely apocryphal – of a race where the runner placed second from last turned to the person behind them and asked, with a sneer, how it felt to be dead last... only for that runner to answer “You’ll soon find out” as he stepped off the course. If there is a sense of glory associated with coming last, it is linked to endurance and persistence. At the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, it has become a tradition for the last athlete crossing the line to be publicly honoured – the presentation of the winners’ trophies, in the square adjacent to the finish line, is timed to coincide with the final runner concluding their race...” ‘Dead Fucking Last’ in partnership with @cieleathletics – continues on our blog (link in bio) and in #LtW34 (This story is inspired by, and features extracts from, @paul_lott_’s ‘The Slow Protest’ article which can be found via the @cieleathletics Journal) 🎨 @max.coubes #everybodyrun