She can feel the wind rushing through her hair as she runs. Runs as fast as she can, not to win but to represent. Represent where she is from, where she was born, where she was raised, where she grew up. At this moment in time, nothing else matters to her, but that she is in this race, all eyes on her, the world's eyes on her. Other participants, of course, are also on the race, the best in the world. None of them are here just because they could run, but because they ran faster than most.
Surprised and amazed is she who qualified to be here, in such a spectacular event. She who did not believe that it was truly her who had been selected to be in this race. She who has always given it all to be the best. But who could really anticipate the invitation to such event.
As she runs she recalls memories. The memories of her father, and how he always used to say, "You've loved to run ever since the moment you were born. I swear the doctor had to strap you down because you almost ran out of the hospital without us." He used to always say that to make her crack a smile, it is sad that she can no longer go to him for advice. He has passed away and the only one she has left is her mother. The mother that has always been there for her. The mother who suffered along her when her dad died. The mother that right now stands in the crowd cheering for her daughter.
She had a good childhood, never missed a meal, never lacked water or a roof. She did not have the most luxurious one but that did not matter to her, as she was well educated and raised and always had what she needed. She would every year participate in the thanksgiving race of her school, and would sometimes go to fundraising community races. She would not always win on these but she loved it and it made her happy. It was and still is her passion, to run.
She loves the breeze that passes through her skin as it does right in this moment. Running to her is a way to relieve stress, it is a way to let herself breath. She does it to give some space to the world, to think freely, to feel like a cheetah roaming through the freedom of the savannah. Whenever she got a bad grade in school, whenever she had a bad time, whenever she was mad, and even when her dad was no longer, all she did was run. Run to forget, and to remember.
Running she got here. Running she ended up in this race, the race of her life. The race that she will one day tell her kids, the race that she will never forget. So she runs. Runs against time. Runs against the other participants that each have their own story. But it is her story which she knows, which gets her through this race
She can see the finish line, and her father on it. So she runs, faster than she has ever ran before.
