Bang!
The gun shattered the tense silence of the two hundred or so competitors all crowded together at the start-finish line. We quickly rushed out of the school gate onto the road that ran behind our school.
Being hemmed in by other boys, I had no choice but to keep pace with them. We kept a quick pace, much too quick for me. Soon my breath became laboured as I struggled to keep up. I could not. The group of runners that was with me all ran past and I was left at the rear.
I looked ahead to see the favourite Vijaya already a hundred metres ahead. Boy, this scrawny little fellow can run. He was the man, or boy, to beat, and I was not the person to do it.
The Annual School Cross-Country Race was held over 10 kilometres. I had just covered over a kilometre when I felt that I could not go on. I slowed down considerably, panting and struggling to keep my aching legs going. I asked myself, why must we undergo such torture to win a prize? At the rate was going I was never going to win any prize. But I could not care less. I felt like giving up.
Ming Keong flashed past me. That jolted me a bit. How could I let this fatty outrun me? I could not be worse than him. So picked up my pace, overtook Ming Keong and kept on going as a fairly quick pace.
The course took us up a hilly area and we had to go up and down a footpath made slippery by the recent rain. I saw runners struggling in front of me and passed some who had slowed down to a walk. That inspired me a bit and did not walk although was sorely tempted to do so.
As I ran on fearing that Ming Keong might catch up. I began to realise that my movements were no longer laboured. I was enjoying the flow of my steps along the path. Though I was still panting. I no longer had to struggle for breath. It was as though I had found a rhythm.
So I ran joyfully along the muddy area until I reached the road that led back to school. There were only three kilometres to go. I had run the last six quite comfortably and I felt that the remaining three presented no problems.
I could see Vijaya and several other runners ahead of me. They were too fast for me to catch up. I was not going to win a prize but at least I was going to finish the race in a respectable manner.
On I ran and soon the school was in sight. I saw Vijaya run past the finish line well ahead of the others. I was about four hundred metres behind him but there were at least two dozen other runners ahead of me.
I was so proud as I crossed the finish line in a respectable twenty-eighth place. I walked around a bit to catch my breath It had been a good race. I had scored a point for my house.
The stragglers kept coming long after the allotted time had elapsed. At least they made it although some seemed like they had walked most of the way. What about Ming Keong, the boy who made me keep running? Well, he was among the last, but he made it.