RIO DE JANEIRO -- There are 11,551 athletes competing at these Olympics, all striving for that elusive gold, silver or bronze medal. While Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles have won multiple golds, around 10,500 of the athletes will go home without a single medal of any color. After the years and years of training and sacrifice, that is devastating for some. But they and others still will take home lessons and emotions that are nearly as important as any medal.And perhaps more so.The Olympics to me are permission to continue wanting things that I may or not get, distance runner Alexi Pappas said. Because I see so many people around me trying so hard as well. Its motivating to be around that. The Olympics are permission to keep believing in yourself because hundreds of other people believe in themselves, and they want something. And its a scary thing to want something but its less scary to be in a whole village of people who want something they may or may not get. ...Theres an element of it being a celebration. People want to do big things here, but everyone recognizes that its an achievement to be here and that the competitions themselves are celebrations.Of Greek-American lineage, Pappas grew up in the Bay Area and attended Dartmouth. In Rio, she competed for Greece in the womens 10,000-meter run, finishing in the top half (17 out of 37 entrants) with a personal-best time of 31:36.16. Like every Olympian, there is more to know about her than just her time in a competition.Pappas is also a writer. And an actress. And a filmmaker. And a poet. She writes poems for Womens Running Magazine, including a recent one titled Before, Olympics 2016, about such pre-competition preparation as knowing where bravery hides so she can draw it out.Every word matters in poetry, Pappas said. That helps me as a writer to appreciate words, and it also helps me as a runner. Because in poetry there are certain limitations, but there also is a lot of creativity within it, and I think that running is similar.Pappas and her fiance, Jeremy Teicher, co-wrote and co-directed the recently completed film Tracktown, which is set in Eugene, Oregon (aka, Tracktown USA). Based on some of her own experiences in the sport, the movie is about an intensely focused runner, played by Pappas, who competes at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene. The film also stars SNLs Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley of The Office.She eventually wants to become a full-time filmmaker -- I would like to make things with Jeremy for the rest of our lives -- but she also wants to run as long as she can.A top runner and vibrant personality in the States, Pappas could have competed for the U.S. but chose to run for Greece instead -- she was able to thanks to dual citizenship since her grandmother is from Greece. She said it was an easy decision.My goals are to compete at the highest level, which you can do regardless of where you run. But also to have an impact on the sport, she said. Im doing that already in the U.S., but I think I can extend it to a place where distance running was born. But Greece has never had the leadership or role models in distance running. This was an obvious opportunity for me.While Pappas time in the 10,000 was more than a minute behind Ethiopian gold medalist Almaz Ayanas world record, Pappas said the race was the highlight of the Olympics. Thats because the Olympics are not just about winning or medaling. You can draw something just from being here and competing against the worlds greatest in your sport, regardless of what that sport is.Everyone at the Olympics is among the best, not just the ones who win gold, Pappas said. There is a remarkable energy to be around.Pappas was saying this outside the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, where she had just watched Greek teammates compete in synchronized swimming. She turned to Teicher and her father, telling them how odd it was that she and they were Olympians despite vastly different sports. But that is another beauty of the Olympics. It is about athletes in so many sports.Were different creatures, but were all trying to be at the highest level of something very specific, Pappas said. And none of these things are life or death matters. Win or lose here, youre going to be OK. But that you care about something so much that you almost make it a life or death thing is really special. And to be around it is emotional. Were all doing things that are not life and death every day, but if we can dedicate ourselves to it like these women I watched today, thats the best.Thats the lesson of the Olympics. Medal or no medal, the key is dedicating yourself to doing your best in what you love, whether that is running, swimming, poetry, film, technology, medicine, education or anything at all. Win or lose, succeed or not, the experience alone can be equally important.Tracy McGrady Jersey Large . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Custom Allan Houston Jersey . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.customknicksjersey.com/custom-phil-jackson-jersey-large-209w.html . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Custom Anthony Mason Jersey . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Custom John Starks Jersey . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday.Retired Collingwood star Dane Swan believes the AFL does not have an issue with illicit drugs, despite freely admitting he experimented with substances during his playing days.Swan, one of the AFLs more colourful characters, was recently forced into retirement due to a debilitating foot injury. The Brownlow Medallist played just one game in 2016.But the Magpies star hasnt departed the game quietly, revealing to the Sunday Herald Sun?he experimented with illicit drugs?but also the fact that he never received a strike under the AFLs controversial illicit drugs policy, which was tightened at the start of the 2016 season.Swan believes there is no cause for alarm from the community when it comes to their AFL heroes and the use of illicit drugs, saying the game would hold up favourably if compared to any other profession.I wasnt really looking for anything, I did them [illicit drugs] because I guess I wanted to, Swan told Melbourne radio station SEN.So I was trying new things ... I wasnt forced, I did them because I wanted [to]. Im my own person. In the end, whether youre an AFL footballer, whether youre a sports journo, whatever you are, youre going to do things of your own volition; if you want to youre going to.And its like I said, whether youre an AFL footballer, if you want to try something at some stage, youre going to.Now I would argue that if you took a snapshot of any other profession and you took it against AFL footballers ... we would be a helluva lot lower than any other profession in Australia.Swan said there was a lot of hypocrisy when it came to illicit drugs, and pointed the finger squarely at the media.Every journno whos got a voice, well Id like to drug test them and see if theyve ever done it, Swan said.ddddddddddddI hear stories about everyone, too. So theres a lot of glass houses out there but, yeah, I think our snapshot would be extremely low compared to everyone else.While Swan admitted the AFLs policy - which now sees players names made public following a second positive test rather than a third - meant hed been the victim of rumour and innuendo while playing, the veteran of 258 AFL games said it was largely achieving its desired outcomes.I think they should, Swan replied when asked about whether AFL should persist with the policy.I never actually said when and where I did [drugs]. I havent listened to a lot of radio but everyone seems to think I was dodging drug tests and doing all this, and I got drug tested more than anyone.But I never ever said once that I was doing it during the season, I was doing it here, I was doing it there; so people were just [making] two and two equal five all of a sudden and half the people think there was a tweet that I said about, you know, the drug testers coming to my house, and people have been retweeting that and thinking it was funny. But thats performance-enhancing drugs and everyone that takes performance-enhancing drugs should be caught and suspended for two years or whatever it is.But the recreational thing, I think, and Im not an AFL doctor, Im not a doctor, so I have absolutely no idea; I think the two AFL docs who monitor the policy are doing a great job. ' ' '