The 100-Meter Mile
At last.
The race was almost starting.
For Todd, the feeling in his extremities had long departed for the day. If he ever wrestled with an anaconda beneath a frigid cold lake, he now knew the feeling. Between each torturous breath, his wired glasses cleared up just enough to make out from faraway what he hoped was an ambulance waiting to carry him away.
Beside him stood four other runners preparing their final routines. Some hopped like a meth addict ready for their afternoon fix. Others stretched out their legs and arms like seasoned athletes. Todd simply wished that someone would offer him a warm coat and a cup of hot chocolate, if it wasn’t too much trouble.
For the 100-meter race, runners were broken down into individual heats, divided so that as many schools were represented in each sprint. Standing several rows back behind the first group, Todd was glad of the temporary reprieve being afforded to his feeble chances. Best of all, the presence of a dozen or so bodies surrounding him served as an excellent barrier between himself and the harsh San Francisco winds.
“Allllllrught, boys and girls. LISTEN UP!”
The roaring voice and the piercing whistle that followed startled Todd. The crowd of runners immediately turned to face the arrival of an unfamiliar voice. Standing before them was a middle-aged man wearing a spoiled tan-colored track suit. Despite his sizable waistline, one look at his steely, snake-like eyes would make you regret the thought of making a funny jab about his predilection for heart-stopping food.
“We’re about to start and so I need all of you to line up according to your assigned heat. When we are about to begin, I will signal once for your group to get settled in your blocks. When I fire the gun, the next group has about thirty seconds before their turn.”
Snake Eyes pauses for a moment, glaring menancingly into the helpless eyes of the runners.
“GOT THAT?!”
The sudden bellow punctured the air and several runners who were able to barely recover uttered a weak whimper in response.
Satisfied, Snake Eyes stalks over to the grassy field surrounded by the track. Up front, the first group of brave runners settle into their starting blocks.
Todd squinted at the crowd forming near the track. Searching for his father, he wondered if he would be able to witness him shatter the school record for the slowest 100-meter run.
“Runners!”
Snake Eyes had finished loading his pistol. The thought of practicing his aim with a couple of skinny teenagers probably passed his mind seconds ago but now, the races were about to begin.
“On your mark! Get set….”
Pop!
And off they went! The first heat went without any problems as the runners zipped deftly across the track.
Pop!
Soon, the shield of runners protecting Todd began to dissipate as more runners raced off. Gulping in nervous anticipation, Todd could feel the dizziness return as he inched closer to the front.
Pop!
The shield was no more. Todd was exposed and vulnerable. Nothing separated himself and Snake Eyes’ untrained aim, although he fathomed that might not be such a bad fate after all.
Stumbling towards the starting blocks, Todd maneuvered his way like a drunken college student searching blindly for his lost phone. As he bent down awkwardly and lined up on the track, he realized that he could barely reach both blocks with his feet! Kneeling besides the blocks, he pushed and grabbed helplessly at the stubborn metal object, pleading for it to heed to his wishes.
“Oh, let me help you with that.”
A skinny Caucasian boy with messy brown hair crouches down beside Todd and shows him how to reposition the blocks.
“Thank you!!” Todd thanks his savior.
“Hey, PRINCESS! You done painting your fingernails or do you need five more minutes for it to dry?”
Snake Eyes jolted Todd back into his cold, unforgiving reality. Placing his feet comfortably on the blocks, he placed his hands on the ground and slowly inhaled.
“Runners, on your mark!
“Get set….”
Pop!
And off he went! Todd bolted from the blocks with a fiery energy he never knew he had. His stride was effortless, almost like breathing. What was even more amazing about his sudden emergence as the second coming of Usain Bolt was that none of the runners were even remotely in his peripheral. The race was already won.
“WHOA, WHOA, WHOA THERE PRINCESS!! Did someone steal your Barbie collection or something? Get back here!”
“Huh?”
Todd stopped abruptly and realized he was standing by himself. He had jumped the gun.
“Next time you start running before you hear my gun go off, you’re disqualified! Got that?”
Todd nodded quietly as he headed back to his starting lane.
“Ok, ladies…Let’s try that again…” Snake Eyes muttered in annoyance.
Closing his eyes, Todd tried to force his most recent blunder out of memory.
“On your mark…get set….”
Pop!
Todd’s eyes burst open wildly in surprise. This time around, the runners in his heat jumped out the gate in unison. The race was already over.
Twenty meters in, the separation quickly grew.
One stride…two strides…three strides…
As he reached the half-way point, he could already see the backs of all the runners.
“Hmmm…those are some nice looking shoes. I wish I had gold cleats” Todd wondered as his bored eyes wandered around.
Three-quarters of the way in, he was certain that his coach had mistakenly placed him with the varsity runners.
As he painstakingly sprinted his way to the finish line, he finally saw his dad. For a brief moment, their eyes met and Todd saw the heavy, tired look of disappointment sprinkled with a dash of pity.
At last, the race was over. No one high-fived or patted Todd on the back for a job well done like they did with the other runners. That warm coat was certainly not going to show up.
Looking around, Todd noticed that his teammates were assembling around his coach.
“Alright, Paul. Good job today. 10.75 seconds. That’s a new personal best for you I believe.”
Walking towards the end of the line that had formed, Todd made his way to the front as his coach completed the last of the reports.
“Ok, let’s see. Who do we have left…”
Glancing down and squinting at his clipboard, Todd’s coach looks up and frowns in his direction.
“Ok, Todd…umm…nice effort today..”
“Wait, really? How’d did I do?” Todd asked excitedly.
“Well, you remember during the Olympics last summer when Usain Bolt broke that 200-meter world record?”
“Yeah…what about it?” Todd asked cautiously.
“Well, you ran a 19.3…”
“Wait, I ran as fast as Usain Bolt?? Really? That’s awesome!” Todd exclaimed in joy.
“No, no, no, no..you didn’t hear what I said,” his coach stammered as he tried to regain his composure.
“Oh man! I can’t wait to tell my dad about this! He is going to be so proud of me! Thank you, coach! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Todd continued in his rapturous celebration.
Without another moment, Todd bounded off to search for his father, excited to share the incredible news.
For Todd that day, no one ran as fast as him.
Not even Usain Bolt.
