also-ran
neither a loser nor a winner, inescapably more pathetic, less evocative of empathy, less romantic than winner or loser.
Example:
The Hollywood starlet had been attracted to champions and to down-and-outlaws, but the milquetoast also-ran in his Ford Pinto didn't even register beyond her retina.
The Hollywood starlet had been attracted to champions and to down-and-outlaws, but the milquetoast also-ran in his Ford Pinto didn't even register beyond her retina.