She warned up carefully, getting a wave as she did from Amelie Lefebure, the defending champion, who Linda had sized up to be her main competition. They’d raced twice in invitationals, and Linda had won by fifteen seconds each time. Still, things can change.
Everyone was gathering at the starting line, over one hundred nervous and fidgeting runners. Linda hoped her assigned place would be near one of the ends, but all the individuals were clustered in the center. It took a while to get things spaced so that the runners weren’t crushed together. Lots of elbows, bumping, shifting side to side, searching for space. At last, the whistle blew, and everyone crouched, ready.
At the sound of the gun, Linda exploded, sprinting to clear the rest of the runners. In front of her was two-hundred meters of grassy field that led into a woods. As expected, the favored five led the way into the woods, Linda leading the pack. She tried to sense where the other runners were without looking back. The spectators along the course were a big help in this with their cheering and their looking at the runners. Linda had been nervous when the five had gone into the woods in a pack, but when they’d come back into the open, she was ten meters in front and feeling like she wanted to run even faster.
So, she did.
Now, as she passed the spectators, they looked at her, and then their heads snapped around to see the other runners. Her spirits soared as that told her they had to be twenty-five or thirty meters behind, and she was running comfortably. When they called her time at two miles, she was sure her eyes widened. Ten-fifty-six. She’d run that fast before, but on a flat and suspect course, not on a hilly and carefully measured course like this one.
She began to press a little, conscious of how she was feeling, aware that her legs felt ready to do more. She kept it up, smiling to herself, spurred on by how energized she felt. Almost surprised, she rounded a corner to find the two-hundred-meter field stretched out in front of her, the finish line at the far end. Arms pumping and knees lifting higher, Linda watched that finish line draw closer and closer, no longer thinking about the other runners but only that finish. She pushed herself even harder, lungs ready to burst.
At ten yards from the line, all the observers were treated to a huge smile from the pretty fifteen-year-old. Two yards past the line, the tears began as Linda looked around, ignoring the other runners, finally spotting her parents standing at the fence. Actually, they were outside the fence and jumping up and down. She went through the finish line procedure, then spotted the gate in the fence and squirmed through, hearing the yelled congratulations as she raced to her parents and gave each a giant squeeze. Jackson was standing with them and got a joyful hug as well, causing a grin equal to Linda’s.
“Linda, we’re so proud of you,” Molly said, conscious of how important that seemed to be for Linda.
“Thanks, Mom,” Linda said, thinking that her mom always said that, but now she had done something to make her proud.
Panting, she went back through the gate where she and Coach Conrad did a hug-dance.
“You did it, girl, just like you planned.”
More tears. “I…it’s just…” She looked at her coach. “I did it.”
They were joined by another panting runner. Amelie Lefebure gave Linda a hug.
“You’re too tough,” she said. “I was giving more than I had, and you were still running away from me. What was your time?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I got a time,” Coach Conrad said, “but I’m not sure it’s accurate, so let’s wait for the official time. And congratulations, Amelie. You were probably ten seconds ahead of third.”
“Thanks,” Amelie said, her breathing more normal now. “Thank goodness I can move on to college and won’t have to face this one again–at least for three more years. Good luck,” she added and jogged away toward her teammates.
It wasn’t too long before they called the winners to the award stand for the presentation of their medals. Fifth place was awarded first, then the others until it was Linda’s turn.
Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner, representing Crawford High School, Linda Baker.
There were loud cheers, applause, and whistling as Linda climbed onto the top step of the stand, the big smile returning to her face as she waved to the crowd after the medal was hung on her neck. Then, a pause as everyone waited.
Linda’s winning time was sixteen minutes, fifty-three and seventy-eight one-hundredths seconds, which establishes a new state record by more than eight seconds.
Linda’s mouth was wide, and she could barely breathe as the crowd roared its approval again, and she was congratulated by the other four runners. She climbed down and once more searched for her parents, who found her. Jackson was with them, hoping to relive Linda’s hug, but satisfied with being close to her.
In the car and headed home, Linda and Jack were in the back seat, and he was basking in the sheer joy that emanated from her. He’d never seen her quite like this, and neither had her parents.
There was no way they could understand what was happening inside her. Although the race was long over, Linda’s heart was still pounding. She was ecstatic about winning. To win four championships, she had to win this one, and she’d done that. She was trying to think of which of the runners would be returning and could improve. Of course, there could be a freshman, as she was, who surprised people, as she had done, and might unseat her, as she had done to Amelie.
She fingered the medal still hanging around her neck, pondering what she needed to do to prepare for track season. More speed work, and … she heard Jack’s voice.
“That was fantastic, Linda. I can hardly believe I’m sitting here beside a state champion, and I know her.”
“Thanks, Jack. I’m just me.” She heard herself say it but wondered if she meant it. He said she was a state champion…and she was. She had never felt so excited, but there was so much to be done. She had 1600- and 3200-meter championships to win in the spring, and she couldn’t relax.
“Honey, you won, and now you can relax, at least for a little while.” Her mother had turned and was smiling into the back seat.
Linda returned the smile but realized her mother didn’t understand. Still, a week off might not hurt. It might even make her more hungry.
“For a little while,” she said, then turned to Jack. “You still want to go to the movie tomorrow?”
A shocked boy just looked at her for seconds before blurting out, “Yes.”
She was excited, still high on adrenaline, she guessed, but the thought of having a date was exciting, even if it was with unexciting Jack. She didn’t know Jack well at all, only from their brief walks to school, but maybe he’d surprise her. She smiled at him; he was obviously enthusiastic…and looked anxious.
“You pick a movie,” he said and received another smile.
Even as a fifteen-year-old, she could appreciate his courtesy.
“Well, thank you,” she said. “But if we want to walk, we’d better go to The Clifton and see whatever’s there.” For her first date, she didn’t want to be driven around by either set of parents. She was, after all, a state champion, even if it was for only an hour by this time.