The World’s Greatest Sport
Sir Roger Bannister, a world-class runner from England, once said, "We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable" (Cited in Remy). This quote describes the reason why many people enjoy running. This sport not only benefits a person’s health, but also their mental state and overall well-being.

Many people think that runners are crazy because they run miles upon miles for enjoyment, but those people do not realize is that runners feel an great deal of accomplishment when that run is over. Sure, there are times during a long run that runners would rather jump into the lake next to them and cool off, but there is something inside that pushes them to continue on. The runner’s high that is accompanied with a great run is something runners are constantly striving to achieve. It is the feeling that the person has set out to accomplish something and they made it to the end, regardless of any self-doubts or skepticism that they had before they began.
Running is also one of the greatest and most participated in sports in the world, because you can run almost anywhere. A runner can experience nature on a trail run, try to overcome the insanity of a big city, or just take a jog through a small town. That is one of the aspects of running that I love; the fact that I can run anywhere I want to around town or through the park, I am not limited to a gym or field.
This incredible sport brings people together for reasons that are bigger than themselves. The people who run are generally happy, due to the extra release of endorphins, and that is evident when you arrive at a race and are greeted by hundreds of friendly faces. From the butterflies that arrive half an hour before race time to the pain that one feels during the nearly vertical hills; the overall process of a race is priceless. The satisfactory feeling after a race makes a runner thankful that they persevered until the end and did not give up when their lungs felt like they were going to explode.

Running is really a unique sport in which the runner relies completely on themselves, and the success that they achieve is a direct reflection on the amount of work they have put forth. Although team sports are great in that a person comes together with a group of people to achieve a common goal, it also represents the work of many; not all of the individuals’ talent is used or even noticed in a large group of people. An individual could be a very talented athlete in a particular sport, but because of the decisions of coaches or members of that team, he or she may not get the opportunity they deserve to compete. In the sport of running, a runner is in charge of their outcome. Ultimately, no outside forces can truly affect them. There is no one telling them they have to sit out a race because someone else would do a better job in their position, and this is one of the reasons why I love the sport.

Running is unlike any other sport in the world. It is something that brings people of all nationalities together. This sport has changed my life significantly; and that is because I get from it a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment that I have never gotten from a sport in the past.

Citation
Remy, Mark. "A Few Rules To Run By." Runner's World Jan. 2010: 75-79. Print.