How do you feel about being runner up?

Since I’ve never been first in anything, I don’t take it seriously :/

I feel happy for the winner as they did one hell of a job to beat me!

I would never expect to win, so getting runner up would be very good!

Depends on the race. When I ran for school board, I found out that I’m anything but a politician. I came in dead last. Pretty happy about that, because as it turned out, I would have been angry most of the time. The school system is in horrible trouble-financially, and they don’t want to hear about it. The system is also a big old boys club. I don’t get along with people like that. So there’s something to say for learning about my own limitations.

I’ll let you know when it happens… ;-)

I feel fine, there is always going to be some neurotic/obsessive who beats you. Until you are the said person in your field of expertise, runner up is okay.

It depends on the competition. I usually am not very competitive. Although, being first runner up would probably make me feel like I just missed winning! Shoot! If it was competition in sports or beauty, just for a trophy, I would not care much where I placed. If it was to win something I really wanted, a material thing, or an opportunity to travel or meet someone I admired, then I would care much more.

Sorry I didn’t win, but happy with the achievement.

Thrilled.

@marinelife We’re all just happy you’re in the race.
@nikipedia good question.

I can’t recall ever being runner up. Then again, I can’t recall winning anything specific, although I’m sure I’ve done so.

I think that tells me that being runner-up means nothing to me. But it could also tell me that winning means nothing to me. Which I think is true. I don’t like comparing myself to anyone else. I much prefer collaborating. It’s more fun playing than competing.

Depends on the contest and why I lost.

If it was a fair, well played competition and we both were at our best, then by all means, honor to the victor because the best won. In those kind of competitions, it is a honor to lose because you did your best against someone who happened to be better.

But, if it is a shoddily run, poorly executed competition, biased or fixed, won by cheating or the ilke… oooohhhh…. I get mad but learned how to move on.

I was in a state level pageant when I was 18 and got 1st Runner Up to a girl whose mother was on the board of the state agency that hosted the pageant. The judges deliberated for a hour… I knew well that it doesn’t take that long to tally up points. I cried for a week until I realized I had lost before I even begun—it wasn’t anything I did or didn’t do, just how it was set up. When competitions are set up like that, I don’t give them validity- it’s just an ego-stroking show.

I don’t mind coming second…....;¬}

My horse came in second and that was a winner for me.

2nd Place is not a bad position.

I’m such a sore loser that I try not to compete. I think of it as a character flaw, but there it is.

I am the least competitive person you will ever meet, and I hate attention, so I would probably be just fine with it, if not angry that I get attention for being so highly placed.

I don’t really care. Win or lose, at least I had fun.

Some recognition is better than no recognition.

I’m not very competitive and seldom place myself in the running for anything. If I really went for the top, I’d be disappointed not to make it. But getting an honorable mention in, say, a field of 500 is pretty good.

Competing for a prize in a writing contest is really different from running for election, though. In one case it is recognition shared with others in varying degrees in a brief moment of glory; in the other, it’s winner take all, and the losers have to live under the shadow of the winner for some extended period of time.

I hate it so much.

I’m just glad for some recognition. Besides, being first gives too much recognition, it makes me feel overexposed and worn out, not that it happens often, but still, it’s not cool.

It’s OK if I put in the effort. If my effort sucked, it’s unacceptable. Winning is great, but it’s the personal satisfaction from a good effort that counts more.

I’d be bummed that I juuuuust missed winning, but not overly upset about it.

It would depend on whether I really felt like I should have won. I might be thrilled with second place, or not if I thought I was the best.

It depends on what it is we were competing for but if I put my heart and soul into something and came in second, I would be disappointed. I would also be happy for the person who came first too. Given how much effort I tend to put in to anything, they would have done a good job and would have deserved their first-place. I’m human though so there would definitely be a twinge of… ‘wish I had done…’.

I should say I would be less happy if I feel they won unfairly. That has happened with a job I went for once. I know the person given the role wasn’t the better candidate. The choice was political. It left a very bad taste in my mouth. I was happy for the candidate. He was a lovely guy. I was very unhappy with the organisation and the manager looking after the recruitment process.

When I ran track & field, runner up was just fine and felt like I was in the winner’s circle. Runner up competing with co workers though, not so fun and sometimes humiliating.