Smile!

Track has been plagued by steroids for years, just like most sports this decade. It will continue and I hope they try to police themselves as much as possible, because it's simply unfair to have cheaters.

Although we may have our suspicions on certain athletes, we must spend our disbelief, like when reading a good piece of fiction. If we are able to watch the recent World Championships in Track & Field as good ole-fashioned races, it is quite possibly the best meet ever.

Usain Bolt is fast, but his smile is infectious. He actually enjoys the process. He is a legend and his talent immense, but it is his immeasurable enthusiasm that makes you want to share his success. And quite frankly, I'm pretty sure that a lot of his success is due in part to his enjoyment of lacing up his spikes.

As we stare in awe at Bolt, track & field is following his lead. Powell now jokes around with Bolt before his race, so does Spearmon, yet these guys are still running personal bests. Although it's good to focus and I respect Tyson Gay for his death stares, I also admire the ability of the other sprinters to understand their place in society and entertain us with their footraces.

We are slowly realizing that we can embrace athletes because they are likeable. We can now ignore the red-eyed drug cheats and the gun toting criminals to party with somebody that can balance at a night at the club with a podium finish.

Author Christopher McDougall addresses this, in his recent book 'Born to Run.' A tribal group from Mexico, the Tarahumara run hundreds of miles in a couple of days. They don't run with a firm training plan or because they are forced into it; instead, they run because they love it, they love to smile and feel the footfalls. Although they may often run in a competitive spirit, they do it good naturedly and for the love it.

Berlin has done a good job making track & field a sport to love. They have a visible mascot that has been goofing around with Bolt and giving piggy back rides to other gold medallists. Sometimes the sport and running can be grueling. But if we all take a step back, it's worth smiling.

After winning the 400 meter hurdles, Kerron Clement stands atop the podium atop the entire stadium. In years past, it has been mostly business and paycheck for these athletes. But Clement's teeth betray his overwhelming feeling of joy that I've never seen before. Track has always been an embodiment of the different facets of life, and this year's championships remind us that despite the adversities we face, we need to dream and smile.