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

“Chasing the Wind” by Beck Loewe

Submitted to Contest #235

“I read this article…in the paper…it said over 100,000 runners get hit by cars each year” my dad relayed to me at our last dinner date as he wiped the remnants of ketchup on his plate with a giant steak fry. Air whips past me now as a faded blue F150 flies down the road, my pace steady and unbothered. The bottoms of my shoes hit the pavement in perfect rhythm as the road starts to angle downwards, my body shifting with the earth beneath me. It’s funny because my father was the one who encouraged me to start running. Well maybe ...

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“A Run with Dad” by Robert Obszanski

Submitted to Contest #235

I had told my dad I loved him at least a dozen times without ever meaning it. It seemed easier to do it this way after meeting him this time last year. The alternative was much messier. I know, the easier path is not often the right one. How else could I get off my chest over two decades of longing without exploding in anger? But now was different, I had no choice. We were stuck together. Meeting up was my idea, going for a run was his. “Ready?” He asked, stretching his leg ...

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“Morning Run” by Chris Holland

Submitted to Contest #235

I was up at 6.00am as usual ready for my morning run. Standing at the kitchen sink looking out at the back garden, the lawn covered in a film of dew, I downed a glass of warm lemon water, strapped my water bottle to my waist, did some stretches on the bench outside and set off. The forest track was a short walk down the road, our house one of four in a semicircle at the end of the cul de sac. The forest was in deep shade, the sun not yet high enough to filter through the canopy, the branches were dripping from the early morning dew and...

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“Finale” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #235

Ignoring the surrounding chaos as best he can, Ashley goes through his standard routine: lift one foot at a time onto the garden wall, leg parallel to the ground, push down gently, rub the hamstrings, swivel carefully to stretch the groin; move to the garage door, lean forward into it, arms outstretched, stick a leg out behind, back foot planted firmly on the ground, feel the hamstring, flex it slightly, repeat for the other leg; use the door for balance, lift each leg in turn, hold it by the instep of the foot, push out and back to stretch ...

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“An Unexpected Outcome” by Van Fleisher

Submitted to Contest #235

The radio alarm went off, and I sluggishly tested my body, slowly working out the effects of a good night's sleep. As I lay there, listening to the news of British Leyland's strike crisis, the announcer reminded me that it was Sunday and the six o'clock alarm was an unnecessary intrusion into my dreams. I silenced the villain and pulled the blankets tightly up over my shoulders. But habit prevailed, and I lay there awake, weighing the balance of a lonely Sunday morning run on a bleak London day against the warmth of my bed. Then, thr...

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“Facades, Canopies, Arcades” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #235

A Google search, a subway right to the exurbs, and a walk through a mall parking lot led Amanda to the start of The Possum Trail. She wanted a new route for her morning jogs, to “change things up”, and the sign featuring a cartoon possum with pitch-black eyes promised something different. The trail was several miles long, paralleled a highway, and was mostly straight, with the occasional branching path. It was still dark when she arrived, streetlights still on, the lot empty. Dew glistened off islands of grass among the asphalt, the earthy...

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“Run” by Tracey Scown

Submitted to Contest #235

Daron was a football and baseball star in high school. Living in Texas, being a football star was a status symbol. Athletes with any ability in any area were expected to contribute to the Friday night pigskin ritual. Being part of the football team made him feel like a celebrity. On Friday mornings, Daron would line up with his team members to parade into a gym full of fans and scantily clad cheerleaders chanting, “Mojo, mojo, mojo….”, (the team’s catch phrase.) He found the chorus quite intoxicating. The accolades were not as dra...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“Chasing the Wind” by Beck Loewe

“A Run with Dad” by Robert Obszanski

“Morning Run” by Chris Holland

“Finale” by PJ Town

“An Unexpected Outcome” by Van Fleisher

“Facades, Canopies, Arcades” by Joseph Ellis

“Run” by Tracey Scown

🌟 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: