RUNNING THE RACES

 

When autumn was here with us, our school held the sports meeting. No one in our class was good at sports, to be honest. Because I thought I was a bit stronger than the other girls, I entered for the 800-metre and 1,500-metre races. It sounded a bit crazy that a girl should want to run such long distances, but I did. Before the sports meeting, I got nervous when I saw the list of contestants from other classes. Some of them were my middle school classmates and they were very good runners. I was worried that I might not be able to make it to the top eight and earn credits for our class. If I failed, it would be one of my biggest regrets in high school. Therefore, the week before the sports meeting, I left out supper. I took the time to practise running on the sports field. Running there was exhaustive but, oddly enough, it relaxed me when I finished each workout. The day before the sports meeting opened I still did not have enough confidence. Thanks to my kind classmates and close friends, I was determined to win. They said, “Regardless of your performance, we will always be your supporters. And we will be rooting for you, waiting for you at the finish line.”

 

At the races, no matter which track I was on, I heard voices cheering me. When I completed each race, there were friends at the line offering me a bottle of water and a towel. Some even accompanied me back to the classroom.

 

I earned the third place in the 1,500-metre race. I feel so proud.