the runners

The Runners


by Frederick J. Morales


The illumination of the sun just rising to the east gave him a


running head start. The heat rays would soon weigh him down to the


point where he would have to keep a steady pace rather than risk


getting tired. The added effort he would have to make, due to the more


rapid increase in body temperature, would also make him concentrate on


the distance each foot would advance. Therefore, he would not slow


down during the period the sun was at its hottest;at twelve noon.


There was to be no one around him at all as he began his one hundred


and fifty mile run, for whatever reason the printing on the back of


his T-shirt read. It was much more personal than that,almost an


obsession,to pull G's, he called it. To feel his adrenalin flow and


experience the "high", the pain and the numbness that gave him that


feeling of grandeur."After a month's rest and relaxation upon reaching


my destination and winning the prize money,all that remains is


awe",Don would say


His personal felling about running made him wish he would never


get to where he was going. That was the only place in his mind where


he could have disturbing thoughts if he didn't get there first! By mid


morning of the fifth day he had already ran the scheduled distance of


one hundred fifty miles. he was to rendezvous with a ford pickup that


would enable a person to give him nourishment,fresh water from a


canteen and a portion of salt tablets. Those are the three most


essential items needed at that point to keep on running,biking and


swimming,more common known as a Triathlon,in August of 1991.


He ran at perhaps eight minutes for each mile and he knew he could


run a mile in less than six minutes. That would be pretty fast to the


untrained eye of an ordinary spectator. Even to an experienced runner


, he would really be someone to beat. His face looked weather beaten


while cycling,his six foot stature naturally displayed the strain


placed on his leg muscles. His arm muscles would gracefully aid in


relieving some of the stress while peddling to no end.


Don's long lanky legs naturally gave him the advantage over the


balance of nature as though he had been born to ride a ten speed


bicycle. He meticulously searched the road for any obstruction that


would upset that delicate equilibrium he had achieved of mind and


body,while he and Peter alternated at fifty mile intervals.


At the halfway point he decided to celebrate because Don was


informed after tagging his partner that he had set a new swimming


worlds record across Lake Winnipesaukee. As the sun fell to the


west,so did Donald's body temperature, though he was full of sweat


from head to toe he continued to be festive well into the night while


Peter rested for the run the next day. They were well ahead of the


other contestants so he could afford to, according to the triathlon


rules of New Hampshire.

The race started at Portsmouth and finished somewhere at the


US-Canadian border town of Pittsburgh it took them through the White


Mountains and north.The sooner they arrived at the finish ahead of the


five hundred other contestants the better.the route designated had


already been conquered by other runners but,not as fast as Don and


Peter had done it.


Once at the White Mountains, they had to replace the last team the


next day. It was reported that a runner had been killed climbing


"possum hill" a couple of years back by falling down a fifty foot high


cliff just off interstate ninety-three.There is a strong superstition


about it being bad luck crossing the path of someone who had been


killed and since Peter and Don had the best time they had to destroy


the curse that one of them might be killed also. According to the


legend only one attempt could be made.Don and Peter had already more


than satisfied their sponsors requirements of a hundred miles in two


days if they wore "Nike" sports wear so they accepted the challenge


made to Don the night before


The competitive atmosphere grew more intense both among the


spectators and the contestants. Don wanted "IN" for the social


recognition. Triathlon was just another way of having another good old


time to him. Peter on the other hand was a serious down to earth kind


of guy, though they were known as the "Mathews Brothers" they were


still a team and Peter handled the business end of racing for money.


They had just won five thousand dollars but, the race was still


going on in Pete's mind. His brother accepted to destroy the legend of


possum hill because Pete had broken a record in winning the


race,whether they arrived at the finish first or not.


Hundreds of people waited as Don and Pete arrived from

Pittsburgh,New Hampshire because Don had accepted a dare that he


couldn't break the curse of possum hill and get to the top of the


fifty foot cliff that had killed Joe Johnson or "JJ" as they used to


call him. Don was to race Allen Cooper because he would not accept


second place.


Both men went to the bottom of the hill dressed in only short


pants and t-shirts. Don volunteered to take his t-shirt off so the


judges could tell who was winning. An hour later the yell of one


falling in terror could be heard.Noone could tell which one had been


killed due to the exited spectators,then another hour passed and Peter


was being held back by three men in an emotional state of shock.


suddenly an arm reached over the top of the ledge and hundreds of


people cheered the man without a t-shirt.


The End