As a competitive athlete, you really bond with those you compete against. Even though they all know 'you have to quit for me to win', but when you want to quit, 'I don't want you to go. We've been through hell together'. Its a dichotomy in your mind, that you compete with people - in a good healthy competiton there is an affection that comes from it. Because you have done all this training and all this work to get to this point. And then you go out there and give your best and you empathize with them - 'I know exactly what you're going through because I am going through it too'