"No one remembers who got second."

If that's true, then certainly no one will have even heard about 3rd, and much less 4th. However, for me, inspiration can be found anywhere, even among the "also-rans."

To make the Olympic Team, you often need not come in 1st, however there are certain requirements. On Monday, June 30, 2008, around 8:30pm, if you had not already taken 1st or 2nd in the Men's 800m, all you had to do was beat one Khadevis Robinson, defending national champion [oh, and Four-time USA Outdoor Champion (‘99, ‘05, ’06, ‘07); Three-time USA Indoor champion (’99, ’06, '08); 1998 NCAA Outdoor champion; Three-time USA Outdoor runner-up (’02, '03, ‘04)].

So what did Christian Smith do, after years of training, with one second left? All he did was give it his all. And maybe even some teeth.

Welcome to Beijing, Mr. Smith. And congrats on your third place finish.

"That would make a track geek out of anybody watching," said Alan Webb, the U.S. mile recordholder.

My apologies to the other athletes in this photo -- each have thier own incredible stories.

So many Olympic choices...

... to choose from for inspiration. When 1992 Olympic medalist favorite Derek Redmond pulls a hamstring in his semi-final heat, his dreams and aspirations, years in the making, are finished. Many people would quit, but Derek , in a split second, has a new focus -- just finish. With his Dad racing from the stands to keep officials at bay and give Derek a shoulder to lean on, history is made...

CAN

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says'Yes.' They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said, 'Yes.' For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island.

Father and son went on to complete the race together:




Note: author unknown

Smiles do it every time...

For all I know, I could have been tired, grumpy, stressed, sick, and the kid could have been crying and screaming during the whole bike ride. But this moment in time, captured by a tiny camera thrown into a purse as an afterthought, is how I choose to remember that whole day...