The community that runners are a part of is one of the greatest things about the sport. There is an immediate bond between all runners because they share the common passion for running. Races always have an incredibly enthusiastic, welcoming, and just friendly environment.
It doesn't matter if it's a race for one mile or 26.2, the race is exciting and the runners are always encouraging of each other, despite the competition. Most races have runners of all kinds- young and old, elite and leisure, fast and not so fast. The camaraderie of a race is the best part, in my opinion. Everyone cheers everyone else on! As you are passed by a faster runner, more often than not they'll give you a quick "awesome job" or "keep going" between breaths. If the race is long enough to have water stations, the volunteers go crazy to cheer every runner on! The encouragement doesn't stop there, though; sometimes the elite runners who finish first will backtrack through the course and run with some of the struggling runners to keep them going. This encouragement can get you through a race.
The atmosphere of a race is always so much fun. Everyone is excited for the race to start, and often races will have music going (sometimes live!) to pump everyone up. When the race finished, there is food for the runners and there's always water. Everyone can just hang out and have a good time! Some races do door prizes and pull race numbers as winners. I've been to races where part of the race packet is a pint glass and runners over 21 can get a free glass of beer when they finish. And of course, the best part of any race is the cool t-shirt you get! A race is basically just a big party. They are always a ton of fun, and I plan on participating in them until I am physically unable to do so.
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