KAPOW!

The cheers erupted from the sidelines from parents watching the girls run today’s Cross Country race as soon as the starting gun goes off with a pop. It was a sunny, slightly breezy day, with low humidity. The course we were supposed to run wasn’t too bad, with only a few hills, and some good shade. Perfect for running, perfect for winning.

I cheered on the girls on our team as they pushed down into the wooded part of the course. As I stood next to some silver bleachers near the course, I thought about how in a few minutes it would be me running on the course, beating my so-far season best and getting first place! However, I was tired, as it was a school day. But I was ready to run, to get my next spot on the top pedestal.

   “Hey, Edward!” I heard one of my teammates, sitting near me, call.“Do you think you could let me win today?” I turned to meet my questioner; John, one of the faster kids on the team, asked me. He was shorter than me, but not by much.

   “I dunno,” I said hesitantly. “Are you sure you can’t just pay the extra hundred bucks you should for the chair?” John had recently asked his parents for a nice gaming chair. However, his parents demanded he pay one hundred dollars for some of it, but John was rather reluctant in giving such a large dent in his piggy bank for something he only asked for. So, John and his parents made a bet that if he won any of the Cross Country meets this week, he’d not have to pay the money. Today was the last chance, as the meet two days ago he had gotten a cramp and finished fourteenth. However, John was set on not losing the chance to keep a few wads, and out of everyone on the Cross Country team he was the most fit to get the first place, except for me. “I mean, the chair was super expensive, right? A hundred dollars really isn’t that much!”

   “Well, when you’re running down the last stretch to the finish line, just think of me, okay?” John inquired. However, when I went down the final sprint of the race I did plan to think of him - think of him paying the money that he owes, that is.

   This was it, the start of the race. As John and I were conversing the girls had already started finishing their race and we were already on the start line. I looked over to my left, and realized the race starter was already ready to go, and so was I.

   “On your mark!” The race starter said through his megaphone. Both teams’ boys  stepped up to the white start line, motionless.

   The starter raised the starter gun.

   POP!

As the gun gave a sad excuse for a pow, I took my first steps in the sprint to start out in front. I was an arrow, and my mind was just as empty as one. I was determined to get through, to take the first, but now I was on the side of responsibly giving what you owe. What an odd turn of events, I thought to myself as the straightaway ran away from me behind me. As I got my pace going I became aware that two boys, John and Drew, were behind me as I ran up the first hill. Drew was another friend of mine, also quite fast.

 As I came back onto the starting straightaway in the reverse direction in order to follow the course into the wooded area, I realized that the two boys behind me had started to speed up, as to overtake me. With a quick Nuh-uh in my mind I sped up with them when we entered the wooded section of the course. Relatively hilly, it was one of the harder parts of our cross country course. John, Drew and I were side-by-side throughout the wooded area when fatigue started to creep into my bones, muscles and the important stuff needed for running. There was a tree in the middle of the course path, and as I ran around it John got the upper hand and overtook me!

 Ack, no! I’ve got to catch up with him. My breathing was starting to get shallower, and I still felt the stepping of Drew behind me as John pulled away from me. As we came out of the wooded area I got a good look of how far John was: about seven feet ahead. Not too bad, but I still needed to take it soon. A turn to the left came and revealed how I was going to get him, the biggest hill on the course. With uneven ground, a steep slope, and little downwards slope afterwards, it was the perfect place for me to power up the hill, and to pass John. As I started pumping my arms, I looked up to John to see him only halfway through. Keep it up, I told myself, to keep pushing, to get to John!

 As I started the downwards slope and rounding the left turn I looked to see myself closer to John, but only by a few feet. I hadn’t got up to him, I hadn’t succeeded in the chase. I ran through a bend around a small wood of trees my mind started to panic, as thoughts of Am I really gonna lose this? crept in. Even knowing that Drew was farther back from my chase to John did not comfort me, I was going to get to that finish line without the victory I had hoped.

 All of a sudden, I find myself just behind John! Did I push ahead while I was moping? We were halfway through another grove of trees- the last bend before the finishing strides. My legs were half aching, half numb, my breathing was struggling a bit, my arms were tense, no one would notice if I slowed down just a bit for John, and let him win. He was going for a physical goal, I was looking for a title. There was no trophy, or medal, or ribbon, this was a two team meet, we didn’t supply the awards. What was I going for?

 I was going for a victory, and a personal best. You don’t get better at running by moping, or by not putting any effort. You’ve got to work for it, to make a push to be better. I was set on winning, and set on that record. No one, nothing, was going to stop me, not even a hundred dollars of debt. And besides, it’s only 300m left; I can do it! I pushed up to John one more time, side by side as the woods shrinked behind us, as we approached the last hill. Like a bulldozer I powered up the hill, said goodbye to John in my mind, and made like mad for the finish line. But when I thought of John as the crowd came closer, I thought of a friend who helped me push through even when the pushing pushed back.

 The race was over. I had prevailed and persisted, pushing to the very end, and gained the title of first place. Really the way to get something done well is just to tell yourself to do it, and when that doesn’t work tell yourself harder. About a week later our team ran at the same course again, with our partner middle school having an invitational. At the meet it was crucial that I realize that placing high was not an option unless you were determined to get it, to work hard and to rightfully earn it; I got fifth. Without the efforts of John or my determination, I may still be above my personal record, but not just in Cross Country. In our lives, our drive to complete something is the half of the battle that really matters, too.