‘I Race to Compete With Myself,’ Says Man Who, Days Ago, Almost Puked Trying to Beat Total Stranger to Finish Line at Local 5K

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A local runner claims to race only to compete against himself, Dumb Runner has learned — a statement that doesn’t square with his behavior in races.

“I’m not a super competitive person,” said John Donne, 28, a longtime runner and freelance writer. “Except when it comes to myself.”

“So yeah, I race,” he continued. “But every time I do, I’m really just racing against myself and toward my own personal goals.”

Donne added that it’s “almost like the other runners aren’t there.”

None of this is reflected in the way Donne actually races, sources told Dumb Runner. In interviews with half a dozen other runners, including his own friends, Donne was portrayed as being hyper-aware of his fellow competitors and “losing his shit” whenever another runner passes him, especially in the home stretch of a race.

According to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, Donne regularly:

  • Matches the pace of anyone trying to overtake him, not just in races but on training runs;

  • Pores over race results, calculating how his net finishing time compares against the net finishing times of runners who finished just ahead of him; and

  • Sprints in the final 200 meters or so of a race, trying desperately to cross the finish line ahead of whoever happens to be in front of him.

“In fact, he did that at a local 5K just this past Sunday,” one source said. “He ran pretty steady through the first three miles, then almost killed himself to nip some other dude at the line.”

“It was wild,” the source added. “He almost puked afterward.”

According to the official results, Donne finished that race in 67th place.

Reached for comment, Donne didn’t address those allegations directly. Instead, he told Dumb Runner that his “greatest competitor” is himself.

“That’s what I love about running,” he said. “It’s just me vs. me.”