The Race of Persistence
It was another cloudy and gloomy day in fall. There was a strong gust of wind rattling the neon colored leaves for the trees. For Kevin, today would be a unique day compared to the rest of the short day in fall was that: there would be a significant race determining whether or not he would make it on the cross country team. Success would mean that the months of arduous training and rigorous conditioning had payed off. Failure would ensure disappointment and discontent, but in Kevin’s mind failure was not an option.
The track was damp with puddles for unintentional obstacles. The competitors began to approach the starting line to prepare for the commencement of the race. Most people would experience the heavy
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amount of anxiety before any type of test, but this was different. Kevin had long to become a member of Julius West’s cross country team, and this was his last chance to pursue his aspiration. Kevin felt especially apprehensive in the final preparations before the race. He decided to perform multiple stretches to forestall chances of an injury. After the stretches and warm-ups, all competitors began to take their positions. As Kevin began to examine the track, he noticed it was covered in mud and dirt. About fifty meters away, there was an enormous puddle waiting to be splashed by the strides of the runners competing in the race. He made a mental note to avoid the puddle knowing that splashing in it would mean it would consequence in his shoes and socks soaked in muddy water. Suddenly, the coach of the cross country team, Mr.
O’Connell announced, “The race will begin shortly. Remember to bring your A game today because I will be creating the team based off how quickly you finish the mile and a half race. In order to secure your spot, I would advise you to run like the wind!” Kevin took this time to mentally prepare himself for the pursuit of his desire to make the cross country team. This race was not only a test of physical endurance, but also a test of mental strength, will power. After a couple minutes of deep thought, Mr. O’Connell hollered, “On your mark,” He got into position with slightly knees and arm held at a ninety degree angle. “...get set, GO!” At the sound of “go” Kevin bolted forward like an airplane taking flight. Peering right and left, he began to adjust the pace of his strides accordingly in order to stay near the front of the competition. As he continued running, the pain became to catch up to …show more content…
him. Every limb was crying out to stop, but Kevin’s determination did not want to give into the pain.
His legs were burning and his feet were aching. Every step felt as heavy as stone. Gasping for air, he decided to continue despite his body screaming at him saying otherwise. Kevin’s back was covered with sweat. The shirt was sticking to his back as if his back was coated with glue. He thought of why he liked to run; it was his determination and the thread that kept him going. Kevin began to think about the hard work and training he had spent preparing for this race. The training had made him stronger mentally and physically. It was too late to give up after months of hard
work. With the thought of the joy of finishing, Kevin dug deep and thought of the reason he wanted to compete in this race. Running was a passion and his hobby. Running allowed him to release the stress trapped in a stubborn and troublesome jar. With the goal of being one of the first people finishing the race, Kevin overpowered all of the pain and discomfort. Success in running and achieving personal goals was always extremely fulfilling, especially when it meant beating a personal goal. Checking the status of his pace, he realized that he was falling behind the competition. Alarmed with his position, Kevin began to run as if Bigfoot was on his tail. What he loved most about running was passing other people. With each pass, there was a small voice in his head shouting, “Yay!” The victory was small, but it was still a victory. After a while, Kevin lost track of how many people he had passed, but it was certainly a massive amount of people. Each person he passed increased the chances of making it on the cross country team, something he had longed for. Kevin saw the finish line marked in bright white paint just fifty meters ahead of him. At this point, he gave everything left in his gas tank. As he began to accelerate, he felt the gentle breeze from the wind. With each step, he began to feel freedom from the pain and soreness in his feet and legs. Running at the speed of a bullet train, he crossed the finish line with pride and satisfaction in his performance.
A Critical Analysis of Racism in Canadian Law and the “Unmapping” of the White Settler Society in “When Place Becomes Race” by Sherene H. Razack
In the book Always Running written by Luis J. Rodriquez, he tells of his early life as a gang member in Los Angeles and the many challenges he had to overcome being a Chicano immigrant, giving outsiders a detailed, in depth perspective of the life he lived and the battles he faced. A life that is full of racism; in society, schools, law enforcement, giving them know sense of belonging. Feeling as if Chicanos weren’t of any relevance to this world, treating them like they are less than human. From the early school days with division in the classroom, lack of education offered to them because of the communication barriers and unwillingness to fix that problem, to society where there is division among the people, neighborhoods, territory, to
For the first time, Louis had gone through the process of a positive change. He had controlled his destiny, and he liked it. It seemed to him that he had a life cut out for as a runner, or so he
Terry knew that aches and pains are common in athlete’s lives. At the end of his first year of university there was a new pain in his knee. One morning Terry woke up to see that he could no longer stand up. A week later Terry found out that it was not just an ache he had a malignant tumor; his leg would have to be cut off six inches above the knee. Terry’s doctor told him that he had a chance of living but the odds were fifty to seventy percent. He also said that he should be glad it happened now fore just 2 years ago the chance of living was fifteen percent. The night before his operation a former coach brought Terry a magazine featuring a man who ran a marathon after a similar operation. Terry didn’t want to do something small if he was going to do something he was going to do it big. "I am competitive" Terry said, "I’m a dreamer. I like challenges. I don’t give up. When I decided to do it, I knew it was going to be all out. There was no in between Terry’s sixteen month follow up he saw all the young people suffering and getting weak by the disease. He never forgot what he saw and felt burdened to thoughts that died to run this marathon. He was one of the lucky one in three people to survive in the cancer clinics. Terry wrote asking for sponsorship " I could not leave knowing that these faces and feelings would still be here even though I would be set free of mine, s...
A huge part of the story showed how a person could overcome all the odds to become successful is feats such as sports and other activities. Most sports champions show great endurance to win many competitions. Similarly, Hillenbrand indicated that Louis, a competitive runner, trained until “he (had) rubbed the skin right off one of his toes, (leaving) his sock bloody” (Hillenbrand 23). As a result of all the hard work, Louis overcome struggles such as a bleeding shin, broken ribs, and a damaged toe to set time records for many races. In my experiences, I see many people take sports and other extra-curricular activities as a burden without embracing the challenges. In contrast, Louis illustrates the rare athlete and human being who seeks solutions to
How does Zora Neale Hurston’s race affect her approach to life? America has a long history of discriminating certain groups of people, particularly people of color. African-Americans were treated as slaves and was not seen as equal. Although slavery remained a history and was ultimately legally abolished, race still plays a big role in determining superiority today. Author of How it feels to be colored me, Zora Neale Hurston, describes her journey of racial recognition outside her world that reshaped her conception of racial identity that resulted in the prideful embrace of her African American heritage.
Four days after winning the Seagate 100 km Ultramarathon in Toledo, Ohio, I was hospitalized for 11 days with Acute Kidney Failure, a direct consequence of the race, possibly exacerbated by the 2400 mg of ibuprofen that I took during the race. In this article, I will describe my race and my hospitalization, discuss similar experiences of two runners after the 1994 Western States (WS) 100 Mile Endurance Run, and tell what I have learned that might be of general interest.
In the book “Unbroken”, Laura Hillenbrand does an excellent job in describing Louis “Louie” Zamperini’s transformation from troublesome child to a hardworking Olympic runner. Louie's brother saw running as a way for Louie to get his mind off of stealing, drinking, and bullying. Louie not only became an Olympic runner, but he had also become a man that never gives up, no matter the challenge. His transformation at a young age helps him through childhood, a plane crash, and even a Japanese POW camp.
Race is so much more than just a physical characteristic. It defines how people interact, see each other, and treat each other. It was Karl Marx that popularized the idea that there is a struggle between two social groups in which one prospers from the the exploitation of the other. This idea alone reveals much about our society and human nature: we are inherently competitive, even when it means we may have to do it at someone else’s expense. And we seem to be okay with this for we have done little to change it. However, when it is at the expense of an entire race, are we still able to so easily turn a blind eye? Race and the establishment of social hierarchy have a linkage that, although so engrained in our society to the point where it seems
Wind howling, heavy breathing, spikes clicking on the ground, coach’s yelling. The most intense race of the season. The wind was very powerful for this course on the Tell City Country Club through these enormous green hills of the golf course. Dead grass and brown leaves were blowing nonstop. All nine of the schools slowly started walking up to the starting line. Everyone was looking at each other while representing their own school with showing their school color off with pride. There were three teams total that knew that would be an extremely close score. My team and I stood in our red jerseys knowing that we were going to be the ones to win. I could feel the jitters going through my body. Boom!(personification) The gun went off. Nothing
Our daily lives are affected by race whether we are aware of it or not. How we live different aspects of our lives depend on the colour of our skin. From the types of jobs we have, the income we earn, where we live etc. In societies fundamentally structured by race, it is important that we do not abandon the notion of race, but instead pioneer a revolution in the way that races are understood. In this paper, I will examine how the dominant groups in society define race in terms of biology, which leads to the notion of white privilege, which is their advantaged position in society, at the expense of other racial groups.
It was the day of May 23. The flowers were blossoming and the birds were chirping. The trees were swaying in unison with the cool breeze. The kids were coming out of school, happy it was their last day, laughing and playing as their parents were talking. Most of the students were talking about the run and were wondering what they ran the mile in. Henry was not wondering, he was running home to drop off his backpack and start running.
In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami was facing the dilemma of participating in a 62-mile ultramarathon that took place every June at Lake Saroma in Hokkaido, Japan (104). According to Murakami, “The runners run around the shores of Lake Saroma, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk. Only once you actually run the course do you realize how ridiculously huge Lake Saroma is” (105). The weather gradually changed from being freezing to being too warm for heavy clothes during the ultramarathon (105). While Murakami was running, he began feeling intense pain in different parts of his body (109). Even so, he felt very happy upon reaching the finish line, not so much pride as a sense of completion (115). Through running, Murakami finds his own meaning...
Going into the first race we had not expected much since Susan and I had never run this type of race. There were so many crucial things that we had to remember. It wasn't just to get out of the blocks and burn up the track; there was a baton involved, a certain amount of steps to take, and even a certain way to hold the baton.
When Jesse was 15 years old, in a friendly 100m run competition, Coach Riley timed his running at 11 seconds. Coach Riley was so impressed because he had never seen a 15 year old run 100m in that time. One day, Riley picked up Jesse and took him to go watch thoroughbreds race. Riley thought the horses were the purest of runners, not like humans which were burdened by human flaws such us egotism and vanity. Ri...