In that movie, the character of Penny Chenery (played by Diane Lane) tells her father, Chris Chenery (played by Scott Glenn), that the colt who would eventually be named Secretariat had been born. Chris Chenery responded with a simple line that gets repeated a couple of times in the movie: “Let him run his race.”

That was advice that Penny Chenery implemented in training Secretariat as the horse ended up winning the Triple Crown in 1973 in record fashion, with times that still haven’t been beaten.

I’ve thought a lot about that particular ideal in the last few weeks in a couple of different arenas.

I got to spend a day at the Utah State High School Track and Field meet that took place at BYU two weeks ago.

I guess it’s not surprising that thoughts about “running your own race” would come up at an event that features dozens of different races. Something I’ve always loved about the high school track meet is that it provides opportunities for individuals to showcase a wide variety of skills. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a sprinter or a hurdler or a distance runner or a jumper or a thrower.

I got to watch the young athletes compete in all of these different events and talked to some of them about their successes. I thought about how in track and field you have to figure out what your race is.

There are quite a few athletes who were successful in a variety of events, but the rules say they can only compete in four events at state. The athletes and their coaches have to decide where they will focus their effort for that competition.

Having been to that event for the last couple of decades, something that I’ve always admired about those is that almost without exception their highest priority is to try to better their own marks.

I’ve seen amazing performances where athletes cross the finish line first, but then are a little disappointed in themselves because they didn’t better a previous time or distance or height. On the flipside, I’ve seen athletes who have come in way back in the pack or even last, yet celebrate with their team because they broke their personal record.

That, to me, is the definition of running your own race because success is about your own performance and personal improvement.

I’ve also spent a lot of time in the last two weeks talking to primary candidates who are in the midst of campaigns for various elected positions in local and state government. Not coincidentally, these are also described as races.

Many of the issues in talking points that get brought up are similar, as we ahve discussed the economy, housing, land use, proper government and taxes. Not everyone agrees on how these challenges should be addressed, and that’s OK.

But I’ve seen over the course of these discussions how each candidate brings their own life experiences, perspectives, skills, and beliefs to their race.

Just like at the track meet, these candidates are running their own race. Voters then get to decide which candidate they think will do the best job in the position they’re running for, but that in no way diminishes these women and men for being willing to serve. They deserve to be commended for their effort, for dealing with the physical, mental and emotional challenges of a campaign, and to put themselves out there to serve their communities in their own ways.

While both track meets and elections are examples where individuals need to figure out how to run their own race, I believe there is something to be said for all of us to follow that little bit of advice as well.

We all face our own challenges and earn our own opportunities. We may not be trying to literally cross a finish line or win an election, but each life is a race of its own. You bring your own strengths and abilities to it, as well as having to overcome obstacles and disappointments.

So my question to you is what race are you running?

Recognizing that and determining what you need to do to be successful will be valuable in any situation at any age.

So go run your race.

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Daily Herald and can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.