Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Posted in Character on Jan 26, 2024

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✍️ 42 stories

“A True Story” by Travis Hitchcock

Submitted to Contest #235

I’ve never seen anything like it. Technically, that’s not true. I’ve seen it on TV. Although something in my brain tells me what I’ve seen on TV was fictional. Nothing I’ve seen in real life, or depicting real life, has been close to this. How do you estimate windspeed without equipment or relativity? The fastest wind I’ve ever felt is 70mph. This is faster than that. Much faster. But how much faster is much faster? 20mph? Double? Treble, even? I can’t tell. All I know is it’s faster. Much faster. Don’t go into the mountains, they to...

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“Running Through Memories” by Mads S

Submitted to Contest #235

Henrietta’s crinkled, papery skin curled towards her lips, where bright red lipstick had been painted on in one neat swoop. She wore rouge in a dark red, almost burned, color, and her eyes shimmered with sparkly blue eyeshadow that dropped fallout with each blink. Her hair was neatly pleated into a low bun of dark brown hair streaked with gray. “Hey mom,” Dorothy said, opening the door. The room was suddenly flooded with the fluorescent lights from the hall outside, and Henrietta groaned, raising a ringed hand to shield her eyes. “Cl...

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“New Old Habits” by Nhung Mach

Submitted to Contest #235

Excuse–, I’m sorry, Sorry, Excuse me, Par–, she apologizes quietly, slightly embarrassed, every twelve seconds or so, as she brushes past pedestrians who move—appropriately—at walking speed. Nobody is doing anything wrong; everyone is using the sidewalk as it’s intended. And while her sorrys are genuine, there’s no denying that she’s irritated, too. Squeezing through strangers she’s sharing the narrow, uneven sidewalks with isn’t exactly what she was expecting or hoping for. But what was she thinking? Going on a run in the middle of the...

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“Into the Depths” by J.A Liza

Submitted to Contest #235

I thought I had escaped them. I had been running from them for two years. This is probably the longest I had gone without being found in a while, but that’s not surprising considering where I was. I chose the only place that no one ventures. Except me, of course. I had been here since and I almost wish I had let them catch me, so I wouldn’t suffer in this wasteland anymore. Almost. I was desperate, but I wasn’t that desperate. Yet. Starving. Exhausted. Bleeding. I was in too deep, but I could not return. Not only because of them, but a...

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“Trail's End” by Suzanne Feinstein

Submitted to Contest #235

Augustine was sitting on an exam table, legs outstretched. A doctor was examining his left ankle, which was grotesquely swollen and deeply bruised. His wife was gently holding his right hand. Both hands were bandaged.“No more running,” the doctor said in a clipped tone. “With your disease, it’s dangerous. This injury won’t heal well. The next time you fall, it could be even worse.”For some reason, his falls had increased in the month since his 54th birthday. But usually when he fell, he was fine. He laughed, got up, and went on with his day....

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“I need at least four alarms to wake up in the morning.” by Muru Walters

Submitted to Contest #235

Okay, so I have to be out of the door at 7, which means breakfast at half 6 but I have to feed the cat, load the dishwasher and washing machine and shower before that so get out of bed at 6 to be safe. Will I go for a run in the morning? I probably should. Jamie’s on my back again about getting steps in and to start running again. Do I really want tomorrow to be the morning I start to push myself through it again. I could either get an extra hour of sleep or… No to hell with it, I'll do a half hour run and back to shower for 6. I w...

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“The Wall” by Marc Von Ahnen

Submitted to Contest #235

“I can’t run anymore!” I yelled out choking acidic bile back down my throat. My breath comes out in short and desperate gasps I drop to my knees, sweat pouring off my forehead, burning my eyes. Every part of my body is soaking wet, like I took a shower fully clothed. I sit on all fours, gasping for air. Pleading for air! Begging for air! My legs are limp noodles that can no longer support my weight. I wonder if they ever truly could. I roll on my back, feeling the soft green grass beneath my back and the hot su...

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“Run from it” by Adam Francomb

Submitted to Contest #235

Alex set her keys on the table and opened her fridge. She was thankful for Hello Fresh. By the end of the day, she was done making decisions and following the directions on the card made things so much easier. Dinner would be chicken piccata. She read the card and began to arrange things when she heard the thump. It made her jump. She knew it had to be one of the kids in the hall coming back from basketball or softball practice, but when she tried to return to cutting ch...

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“Central Park” by David Cantwell

Submitted to Contest #235

Immortal was the word that sold me. How could it not? We all want immortality. However, today, and most days, irreversible is the word in the contract that bounces around inside my thoughts. What was I was thinking? I wasn’t. I remember the day I sat through the seminar; the seminar was run well. I wasn’t the only person out of the hundred or so people there to sign up; I would say nearly half of them did. We all had time to back out, they give you a full week to change your mind. It all had an upside, we would be able to keep in touch wit...

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“Footfall” by Nick Holmberg

Submitted to Contest #235

At the time he died, Mateo Sepulveda hadn’t run for two years. Some say he died of a broken heart. In the eulogy, Mateo’s son, Stephen, shared, “Since his running streak ended, you were never sure where an anecdote about your morning jog would take him. You’d risk causing him great pain, witnessing the sadness in his eyes.” When the streak started—March 20, 1979—Mateo was setting out to be the best at something. He was the youngest of three and had lived in the shadow of his brothers for 11,106 days. And his brothers had both recently c...

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“The Capitol Guard” by Tarun Shah

Submitted to Contest #235

She laid in her bed. The beeping of an EKG machine accelerated as she twitched her arms slightly. She first noticed the heart rate monitor clipped onto her left index finger and a needle installed in the crook of her right arm. She tried to rotate her neck but as she turned her head past forty-five degrees, felt a knot obstruct her movement. A neck brace kept her angled towards her body. Her arms and her torso were unbandaged and covered in a thin hospital gown. She breathed in and out, relieved at being able to accomplish the simple task wi...

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“Grounded Ambitions” by Drew Winston

Submitted to Contest #235

As the taxi sped away, Lawrence dashed into the airport, eager to put the peculiar encounter with Walter behind him. Inside the bustling airport, Lawrence's strides turned into a sprint. He ran at full speed, his mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts. Oddly, the encounter with Walter lingered more prominently than the pressing matter of catching his flight. Images of Walter's optimistic grin and his harebrained business idea, 'links.com,' played on a loop in Lawrence's mind. While sprinting through the bustling airport, Lawrence couldn't shake ...

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Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 42 stories

“A True Story” by Travis Hitchcock

“Running Through Memories” by Mads S

“New Old Habits” by Nhung Mach

“Into the Depths” by J.A Liza

“Trail's End” by Suzanne Feinstein

“I need at least four alarms to wake up in the morning.” by Muru Walters

“The Wall” by Marc Von Ahnen

“Run from it” by Adam Francomb

“Central Park” by David Cantwell

“Footfall” by Nick Holmberg

“The Capitol Guard” by Tarun Shah

“Grounded Ambitions” by Drew Winston

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

120

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: