Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Posted in Adventure on Jan 26, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“The Edge” by Liz Grosul

Submitted to Contest #235

They got it wrong. The Earth was flat all along. And moments after sinking into her overworn running shoes and stretching her calves like a cat shaking off sleep, Lori had the proof. It’s not that she was a maniac who liked running. The Morning Run was a longtime nemesis, the Moriarty to her Holmes. It proved rather unfortunate that this daily medieval torture provided the only cure to her abstinence. Three months. No boyfriend; dumped. Tear-soaked pillow cases and far too many empty Ben & Jerry’s pints. Real Housewives, ten pound...

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“Saturday in Seattle” by Sean Packard

Submitted to Contest #235

Early September in the Northwest. Spider veins of frost splinter in the upper corner of shaded windows. The fog outside is dense; it tumbles about in deepening shades of dreary gray. Charlie’s eyes are milky. The drone of the alarm clock breaks the silence for a moment before his hand proclaims there will be no cadence today. 5:47 am. At 5:48 he’s dressed and striding out the bedroom door. He scarfs a banana like a wolf and heads for the front door. Chilly outside - good...

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“Run, Maggy. Run!” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #235

Tonight, Maggy finally gets her chance to run. Tonight, he passed out drunk again. But this time he forgot to lock up first. Tonight, she waits quietly, huddled out of sight. She waits till she hears his sloppy snores.She takes one of his shirts, the one she has been ironing. Knowing exactly which floorboard creaks, exactly where and how far she can push the screen door to keep it from squeaking, she slips out of the house. She tiptoes over the gravel and patchy front yard to the street.And runs."Let's run, Maggy!" With a shove, six-year-old...

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“Challenges of a Middle-Aged Mediocre Runner” by Hope Linter

Submitted to Contest #235

Arlene pulled at the white laces in her pristine running shoes. The synthetic off-gassing didn’t have the pleasurable leather smell from runners in the old days, but they emitted newness and hope. Satisfied the laces were tight, she double tied them and stood up, her weight suspended on the cushiony soles. In the elevator, feeling a spectacle in her middle-age, wearing lycra running gear, she breathed thanks as the elevator passed all the floors without stopping. Even the lobby was empty and she walked unaccosted through the main door witho...

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“The Impossible Dream” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #235

The Impossible Dream“I don’t know, Herb, that might be a little too ambitious.”“Aim high, dream big, go for broke, all-in, win or go home, let it all hang out, reach for the stars, shoot the moon…”“Okay, okay, I got it. But a marathon? Herb, you’re not a runner.”“You kidding me, Sally? I ran cross country in high school.”“That was 35 years ago. And it was just your freshman year and you only ran in that one meet. Remember how they had to organize a search party with flashlights to come find you after the race was over?”“The course wasn’t cle...

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“The Disappearance of Vicky Stevens” by Jess Driscoll-Ward

Submitted to Contest #235

Jen and I have been running together twice a week for about six months. It was my idea as I was waking up early every day no matter what time I went to bed and instead of wasting the hour before the rest of the house woke up, I wanted to do something productive with it. I run past Jen’s house at around 6.15am and she’s usually just stepping out of her front door. The last couple of mornings we’ve met she’s been a bit late and I’ve been jogging on the spot at the end of her drive waiting for her. I’m waiting for her now, my legs pumping up ...

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“The Summer of '72” by Timothy Rennels

Submitted to Contest #235

The Summer of ‘72 My 12-year-old self tightened the laces on my dusty PF Flyers. I kicked the Ozark rocks stained red from the clay and there rose a cloud of dust that lingered in the air. I thought it could be smoke as hot as it was. I looked down the steeply sloped gravel driveway that brought travelers up, past the weathered barn, to the cozy house at the top of the hill. Grandma and Grandpa’s house. They had moved here from Indiana after their retirements, and fancied watching the rest of their lives pass by from that Ozark...

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“Lightning on the Lake ” by Megan Maclaine

Submitted to Contest #235

A drop of rain soaked into Erin’s cheek. It had been three weeks to the day since she’d stood, garbed in black beneath the beating sun, watching Henry’s family lower him into the ground. Not another drop had fallen since. But now, thick, charcoal clouds pushed nearer as she tied her shoes, eyes flashing to the ring that had barely had time to make an indent. Her chest tightened. Was it more rain that dripped from her face to the still-hot pavement? Or was she crying again? Thunder cracked in the distance. Erin scrambled wit...

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“Morning Run” by Molly Kelash

Submitted to Contest #235

Statement to Park Police, 9:17 AM, September 18 Sure. This morning started like any other. Began my run at 6:30 as usual, took the same route. Well. I mean, except… Except I’m halfway to the lake on the parkway when I decide to deviate from the paved path to run along the unpaved trail next to the creek. I don’t know why. Maybe because snow’s going to fly soon, and I’m already nostalgic for summer even if the heat was brutal this year. Maybe I want to see the changing leaves. Maybe I’m simply sick of the same route. Is this really im...

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“Running into a Revolution — Conversations in Hong Kong, 2019” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #235

6:45am The AlarmI check the time, and try to go back to sleep. My legs are sore from yesterday’s 20 km hike (most of the trains in the city have stopped running), and I need to run again tonight.7:30am The Middle School GirlsA rumble from the girls' middle school beneath my 27th floor window jars me awake. In the school courtyard, I see 50 young girls in student uniforms standing in a circle. “Dirty police break the law! Dirty police break the law! Revolution of our time!” they chant-scream in unison, with a teacher joining them. After ...

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“Winning the Race” by Eric Purlee

Submitted to Contest #235

The late September weather was absolutely perfect. The sky was crystal blue, and the clean air carried the first hints of autumn. Nicole’s long, raven hair flitted playfully in the breeze behind her as she drove her convertible through the gates of Hillside Park and wound her way up the scenic drive toward the clubhouse near the top of the hill. This had been one of the best weeks of Nicole’s life, yet her excitement for what might be ahead made it impossible to dwell on her present happiness. Nicole’s tanned skin tingled with anticipation...

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“Running to Hawaii” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #235

Jeremiah is waiting for Susie to meet him. He has one leg propped up on the park bench, and his right hand braced against the thigh of the said leg, his fingers pressing into his skin as though it can reach the muscle underneath. Jeremiah didn’t want to get up to run this morning, but Susie never doesn’t want to get up to run, and the thought of her thinking he can’t keep up with her is unbearable. Jeremiah and Susie were chosen, long before they met, before they even lived in the same town, before they were even born, to love ...

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“The impossible made possible.” by Nancy Whitecross

Submitted to Contest #235

The Impossible made possible. A seed was planted that evening in May while I was working away from home. I received a phone call from Marc Kourie, an athlete my son had made friends with. He asked me if I would allow Rory, my intellectual and physically challenged son, to enter the Ironman Race with him. It was a complete surprise. Questions flashed through my mind: how? Why? What did it entail? I had only a few hours to decide as the entry had to be given the next day. The race was to be held in Durban and was only six weeks away. I...

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“The Secret Valley” by Mikaila Helmandottar

Submitted to Contest #235

“I’m going to beat you,” Ella teases over her shoulder as her feet pound against the Earth beneath her. “Yeah, because you’re a cheat!” Jess shouts out to her sister who had locked the car while Jess was getting out, giving Ella a head start of a couple seconds. Both sisters ran up the mountain trail, eager to reach the lookout not too far ahead. The trail that they raced along was hidden, kept secret from most tourists, but was divulged to them by a flirty man in the local dive bar...

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“I love running in the forest.....but” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #235

I love running though a forest…….but This is a story about running through a forest, one of my great pleasures. A sad and disturbing event happened some years ago that until now has prevented me from continuing enjoying that pleasure. It was on one cold winter’s night I decided to discuss the matter with one of my closest friend, Henri. We were at my country house sitting in front of the fire enjoying a superb Calvados. I asked Henri the following question. “Have you ever been faced with a dilemma that has had serious repercussions on your l...

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Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“The Edge” by Liz Grosul

“Saturday in Seattle” by Sean Packard

“Run, Maggy. Run!” by Trudy Jas

“Challenges of a Middle-Aged Mediocre Runner” by Hope Linter

“The Impossible Dream” by Murray Burns

“The Disappearance of Vicky Stevens” by Jess Driscoll-Ward

“The Summer of '72” by Timothy Rennels

“Lightning on the Lake ” by Megan Maclaine

“Morning Run” by Molly Kelash

“Running into a Revolution — Conversations in Hong Kong, 2019” by Scott Christenson

“Winning the Race” by Eric Purlee

“Running to Hawaii” by ♡ Tana ♡

“The impossible made possible.” by Nancy Whitecross

“The Secret Valley” by Mikaila Helmandottar

“I love running in the forest.....but” by David Nutt

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which a character is running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Make a race an important element of your story.

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

312

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: