An Ultimate Race

I was in second year of my college. You know hostel life, it makes many people lazy like anything. I was no exception.

I used to love running in my school days, though never participated in a competition. Then after these many years, there came a college competition. After almost one year, I ran that day and that too for a trial and it was good enough to show my talent as a racer. I got a chance to represent my house in 200 meter heat. But when I started my sprint, I felt like somebody has caught my feet. Somehow I managed to complete the race with fourth position. Nothing strange, because only four runners were there in that heat.

But my batch-mates had full confidence on me. I was supposed to run in a 800 meter heat a little later. My friends were saying that I'm not meant for these sprints. I'm a horse for long races, so 800 meters is definitely mine. Even I was trying to pump up myself and wanted to win it with my will power. I used to tell my friends that in school days I used to walk / run daily in the morning for half an hour. How fast? I never told them. Was it just a jog? I never told them. Somehow expectations were set for me and they were real high expectations. They were saying to everybody that I'm going to win this race easily.

Then the race started. Everybody was there to cheer me up. There was so much ga-ga about this horse of long races. Then I was gearing up for my ultimate race, my shoes were there at the line with all sharpness. Of course, I was having my fingers and ankles trying to fight with my shoes to come out. I heard the whistle and I started with all my courage.

Oh, again I felt like somebody has caught my feet. Was there a ghost somewhere? A ghost running with me? Whatever I tried, I couldn't catch up with the pace of others. Forget others, I was not even able to catch up with my best. But then there were my friends among spectators. They thought that it is my strategy, I've started slowly because I'll gain speed later with more energy than others. Alas, only I knew the truth and I couldn't go out to tell that it's not strategy. So I ran with the same speed from start to end. There were four laps to complete this race. I was running alone for last lap. my friends were laughing like anything and cursing me. I was little embarrassed, but I also had my share of laughters. I was not tired at all, perhaps I could have run 10 more laps, but with the same speed. Anyway, history was written.

Now, there is nothing much in this race. But what makes it ultimate is aftermath of that race. It's a part of folk lore in my friend circle. We don't talk about the race, which one of our friends won; it was a 100 meters sprint; but we always remember my race, we make a lot of fun of it.

Well, to be honest, my friends make a lot of fun, not me. They do lots of leg pulling for it, whenever we talk about any sporting heroics of our friends. Probably, this comes at second place in our memorable moments of college sporting life. First one will always be a cricket final match, when playing first, we scored 216 runs in 16 overs and won it.

To conclude, I've three points :

First advice is : If you are out of practice and want to run in a competition, think five times before it and keep your mouth shut.

Second advice is : Even if you are regular in running, think three times before going for a competition, evaluate your abilities as a runner first and keep your mouth shut.

Third advice is : If you have a friend like me and he is running in a competition, keep your mouth open and laugh as much as you can. Thank you.

- Neeraj Mathpal
March 14, 2008