Trackstar Antelope

Trackstar Antelope Volume 19

Chapter 162: Orange, then Black

I stand in Lane 1, ready to begin my running. I've made sure that my running shoes are properly tied up, and that my running shorts and singlet fit well. Sam and the others did a good job finding the correct sizes. The air feels cold, as the wind blows around my bare legs, shoulders and arms. The night sky is so beautifully black, and the field has a nice, white light shining down onto the orange track from the lights.

Well, I guess there's only one way to heat myself up.

I begin with a small jog to warm myself up. One lap should be enough for a slow warm-up. I begin on the end of the straightway and begin to curve around. Past the high jumpers and discus throwers, two sports that I've always admired.

I now wonder what I would be like in different events. Long jump and hurdles look like lots of fun; discus and high jump look quite tricky. Plus, the way they land on the mattress on their back... my horns would get in the way, and really hurt. Shot Put and Javelin, I wouldn't be very good at, because you need to be strong. I guess long distance running is the event for me.

I jog around the bend to the back straightway. This is where they usually hold hurdles, I believe. I just hope that the hurdle races are at different times. I can't imagine how scary it would be to have other athletes running faster and jumping right beside me. I look across the track to see Sam, almost completed his lap. Without a doubt, he's gonna finish in the Top 3 on Wednesday.

I think it's a bit daunting; twelve racers and only three of us can go onto the next stage. And I haven't seen how the other schools will go. What if I make a fool of myself, or end up in trouble again? I begin to turn again, going along the javelin and shot-put areas.

I see Tye and a few others, throwing their spear-like javelins as far as they can. They can get a lot of distance on them. And Abe is throwing that shot put like it's a tennis ball. He could launch it all the way back to Whigata, if he wanted to.

I'd love to give each of these events a shot, but there's no time. A true athlete is one who continues to run his own race, no matter what distractions or obstacles get in the way.

"Hey Jamel" Nalu says from the Long Jump pit. He just jumped almost 5 meters from the run up. I'm not sure how good that is, but I know that he'll do well on Wednesday night.

I continue down the final straight, until I finish my lap. As soon as I cross the big white line, I set off, on my normal pace.

I know that since I first raced in Whigata, I've gotten so much faster. I can definitely feel myself, becoming a true athlete; faster and stronger than ever before! I run past the discus throwers and high jumpers again, the bar being set a little higher this time. I look across to the other side to see a large, black and yellow figure running on the track. My only guess is that it's Sam, about to finish his second or third lap.

I keep on racing down the back straight, this time I'm focusing on the lights. They're very bright, but not bright enough to hurt my eyes. Such an amazing, large, tall structure, built only to help us see in the dark. As I continue running, I begin to notice the lights fading a very small amount.

"Maybe it's just my eyes adjusting to the lights" I think to myself. Instantly, I then see Abe, Tye and the others in that area look up at the lights. Maybe they really are going down. I look at them again to see that they're only about half lit, then suddenly--

*FWOOMP*

The lights go out completely, and I slow to a halt.

Not another sound follows. Just me, standing on the track, in the cold, dark silence. I can't see anything