While this may cause a bit of dispute among people, I strongly believe that running is the hardest sport. The sheer amount of discipline and work that goes into training is unbelievable. A soccer, baseball, softball, football or tennis player can go out and eat just about anything they want the night before and even the day of their games. As a runner, a person has to be aware of what they eat the night before and especially the day of their race. A diet in a runner’s life is just as important as the actual workouts.

Being a good weight and build is important to being a good runner. A person that is 230 pounds and is completely built for strength and power isn’t going to be as fast a person that is 130 pounds and toned in the muscles necessary to running. Good body type has more effect on a runner’s performance than it would on the performance of other athletes.

In running, the workouts are meant to push a person to their absolute maximum to help a person grow to be faster and stronger. Racing, in track and cross country, is so different from any competition in soccer, baseball, football or any other sports. When a person races in running, they put everything they have into that one race. A person’s push off of the line, their mid-race strategy and their kick to the finish all determine how that person’s time will turn out. On top of all of that, that person is the only person that is responsible for the outcome. Everything that one person did in practice and outside of practice shows during the race. The work they did or didn’t put in is noticeable. There’s no other person to blame for the outcome of the race. All the pressure is on that person and nobody else. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it’s all the runner’s doing.

Mindset is arguably the most important aspect in running. If you’ve ever been on the track or XC team, you’ve most likely heard the quote, “It’s all mental.” This for the most part is true. A person knows the work they put in during practices will pay off during the race, but it’s all about how that person goes into the race. Being unsure and nervous doesn’t help to ensure that a person’s race will turn out the way they wanted. A runner has to have faith in the work they put in up until the race.

Running has so many minor aspects that are important for being at the top of a person’s game up until that person is on the line, waiting for the gun to go off. The races themselves are not as easy as just going out and running. There is always a lot of strategy on starting, positioning and execution of a person’s training during their race. Running requires a level of dedication and intelligence unlike any other sport.