What Would Jens Do?

He could have refused to start. He could have crashed around the first corner. He could have had a massive asthma attack mid-race. He could have dropped out after the 9th or 10th person passed him, leaving him to struggle up the hills, lap after lap. But he didn't.
Instead, as he came by my corner during lap four, he yelled, "I'M NOT QUITTING".
I didn't know it at the time, but during the third lap, he had told his dad (who was at the corner diagonal to mine)that his throat was killing him. His dad told him if he was that miserable, just to stop down at the finish line and tell the officials. Vic casually picked up his bicycle and rode on down to the start/finish, looking for Preston. No Preston. He rode on down to the corner where Preston's grandpa sat. Preston, Vic's dad told him, had already ridden through the corner and was midway through lap four. Vic was puzzled. He had given him the go-ahead to stop if he was hurting. He didn't try to push him or make him continue. Vic was trying to keep Preston from hating cycling. He didn't want this first race to be a negative experience, even knowing that Preston was the youngest in the race, and by far the least experienced.
As Vic rode back to his corner, Preston was just rounding it. "I'M NOT A QUITTER, DADDY," he yelled as soon as he saw Vic. I'm not sure Vic will ever be able to tell that story without his eyes filling with emotion.
Instead of refusing to start, crashing, having an asthma attack, or dropping out, my son became the bully of the race. He bullied his bike. He bullied his sore throat, his aching legs, and he bullied last place. Three kids dropped out. Preston finished. That's when I knew that my son had won. He wasn't even racing against these 18 year olds. That wasn't Preston's race. Preston was racing himself. As a parent, you always want your child to finish first. But this day wasn't about being first. It was about finishing. It was about conquering fear, hurt, and the desire to quit. And he bullied them all. Sometimes, you gotta man up and finish things. Not for your parents. Not for bragging rights. Sometimes, you gotta finish to show yourself you can.
I have a feeling my son learned a hell of a lot more from losing this one race than he'll ever learn from winning one.