Sometimes, it really is the taking part that counts

It's possible I've lost you already, from the moment you read the title. How can it possibly be alright to take part in something and not try to win it?

Well, I see your point. There are certain games, specifically non-sporting ones, which bring out the competitive streak in me too. A bruising game of Scrabble perhaps, or several intense rounds of Boggle (my dad hates that game. You write a load of words down, then cross them out three minutes later. He says that every time). I admit it. Those games, I like to win.

But with sport, it's different. Because I've never been much good at any of them (apart from badminton, and if you count it, table tennis), there's no pressure. I know I'm not going to win, so I just get on with enjoying it.

I was always the same at school. Despite being pretty rubbish at most sports, I just loved being part of the team, and the game itself. Rugby, cricket, athletics - I'd be there, turning out for the school team. And even if the only reason I was there was because they couldn't find anyone better, I didn't mind, even if my teammates were cursing my being there, dragging them down. And at lunchtime, I'd be first to get involved in games of football on the field, just to be part of it.

And so it continues into my fourth decade in this world...

Last night, London's Square Mile Relay took place. 107 teams of 10, running on a damp and breezy September evening. The course was hard, really hard. It was the longest mile I'd ever run. In fact, I need some convincing that it was a mile at all. On encountering the sign that confirmed I'd only reached the halfway mark, my heart sank, at the same time beating ever faster. The flight of stairs a third of the way in was particularly cruel, and as I neared the end of my lap, I thought about jacking the whole thing in and just walking the rest instead. Of course, that was never an option. You just don't do it; even I know that. So I grinned and bore the pain until I was done.

So why would I put myself through this? Is it really worth the pain and the bother? Emphatically, yes. For the challenge, the camaraderie, the post-race beers, the wonderful buzz, and electric atmosphere.

8 minutes and a second was the time of my mile, the slowest of my team. The quickest did it in 6:36, and our overall time was 1:10:26. A respectable time and a creditable 34th out of 107.

Most importantly for me - I didn't let the team down too much. Yes, I posted the slowest time, but I wasn't so pedestrian as to dramatically skew our final placement.

For me, last night, it really was the taking part that counted. But maybe, just for once, it would be nice not to be the weak link in a team. I'd better get in training for next year.