Crowded together
Bodies tense and
Ready

CRACK
Of the starting pistol

We leap forward
With each foot strike
I feel the give of the grass
Sweat building on my brow and face
My breath is too fast
I need to settle into a rhythm
Focus on keeping my pace steady
There are three miles to go

Into the woods
Shoes biting into the dirt

Negotiations for position begins
Don’t look back it slows you down
Look forward
But not too far
Pick this person off
Go through the large mud puddle
And gain ground

A steep hill
Two people pass me
I’ll get them on the down
By letting gravity do the work

The final corner
Back onto the grass

The cheering crowd
A shot of adrenaline
I have to moderate my speed increase
Too soon and I’ll flame out

As I gain on other runners
I make loud guttural breathing noises
Confused
They slow and glance back
I pass them

Pick up my speed just a bit

The crowd is louder now

Hold my speed just a moment more

Now!

KICK!

Arms pumping
Lungs burning
Heart thudding
Push harder
Legs feel like jello

Keep pushing
And I can overtake one more
Our arms banging off each other
As we both dig deeper
Fighting for more ground
Down the finish chute

At the last moment he pulls ahead
Leaving me behind