"A" by Kaley C

     Since the beginning of time humans have been running.Whether it would be running from something that causes fear,to get to an important destination, or just for fun, we’ve always ran because running is a natural human instinct.Despite the fact that it is a natural yet an essential part of life it can cause great pain and thrill similar to the pain and thrill it caused me April 25th, 2017. 

     I could remember this day so clearly.The hot,intense sun beaming down,the wind blowing occasionally,the few cirrus clouds moving ever so slowly complimenting the clear blue sky. This beautiful Thursday would hold my first varsity race but unfortunately my last league meet of my sophomore track season.As the last event of the meet, the 4 by 400 meters relay race approached I was feeling extremely apprehensive.I was the anchor which is the last person running in the relay and it was up to me whether or not my team would be victorious against our opponents from St.Lucy’s.My palms were sweating and my heart was racing as I stretched and practiced handoffs with the 1st three legs of my relay. 

     At last,over the stadiums intercom I heard,”girls 4x4 report to the starting line immediately”and it was then I knew I couldn’t let my team down and they’re depending on me to bring home the final win of the season.The gunman slowly

said,”leg 2 stay on the track, legs 3 and 4 stay on the field until the runner ahead of you has began their race”at that point my body was shaking with a mixture of fear happiness and pure anxiety. 

     As the white haired gunmen quickly climbed up his miniature ladder he made the announcement that proclaimed,”runners to your mark...set...” and he fired his gun with an ear blasting “POW!”.First leg Ladaijah Wright took off on the first curve which consisted of 100 meters.She continued to accelerate and became neck and neck with our tall blonde headed opponent from St.Lucy’s.With her short yet quick stride for the next 200 meters,she passed our opponent and gradually gained more distance between the two of them.As she approached the final straightway of her race she was now a good 20 meters ahead of her opponent.As she crossed the finish line she immediately passed the gold baton to our second leg,Candice Velasco.Similar to Ladaijah, Candice sprinted the first 100 meters all out.The next 200 meters she maintained speed all while widening the gap between us and our opponent. As Candice reached the final 100 meters she ran with all her might and widened the gap even more to about 30 meters despite the fact she was in pain which you could tell by the grimace on her face as she finished and passed the shiny gold baton onto Donyale Thomas our 3rd leg.While she began running her first 100 meters I nervously stepped onto the track.I turned my head in Donyale’s direction while she was running and I realized we had just lost our lead.I could tell she was trying her hardest to close the gap but it was too late.St.Lucy’s had us beat unless I could miraculously bring back our lead which I was infamously known not to do.However, my time had come to run.As St.Lucy’s quickly handed off their baton I was still waiting for Donyale.After about 5 more seconds of waiting,Donyale aggressively handed me the baton and I

took off.While I was running all I could think of is how will I close this gap or if it was even possible for us to win at this point.Then as I approached the 200 meter mark I noticed my opponent who has started off running so fast had slowed down tremendously.I remember thinking I can’t pass her now she’ll just run right back ahead of me and make me look stupid.So after waiting a couple seconds I realized she wasn’t speeding up so I strided past her and I was now in the lead.As I ran faster and faster her breathing became fainter indicating she was now far behind me.When the last 100 meters came I quickly sprinted and as I did,my legs but more specifically my hamstrings started to burn as I ran and came closer to the finish line.The last 50 meters of my race I could indistinctly hear my teammates,friends and family cheering me on.At Last I crossed the finish line. I had an extreme burning sensation in my chest and I could hardly breathe but it was all so worth it bringing my relay to victory despite the fact that I initially doubted myself.So the question I’ve asked myself is how did I become a better athlete from this experience? 

     The answer is that I became a better athlete from my experience by believing in myself more and not doubting my abilities.Another lesson I’ve learned from this is that the journey is the destination of success.

Chambers