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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#235: Running Wild

Every day, countless people around the world participate in some form of running, from jogs to ultramarathons. And that simple act of putting one foot in front of another is a deceptively meaningful one; it’s something that transcends pure sport, and that can be used as a metaphor for various life experiences.

Running has a powerful psychological effect, as it often mirrors or influences our mental state. Just think about how often it pops up as an image in literature, to express a character's behavior or mindset (think running on empty, moving in circles, heading towards trouble, escaping problems, racing against time, and so on). This week, let's explore the theme of running and some of its interpretations in storytelling.

This week's prompts

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

Adventure – 37 stories

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

Angst – 122 stories

Make a race an important element of your story.

Narrative – 44 stories

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Character – 42 stories

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

Dialogue – 65 stories

Stories

“The Golden Envelope ” by Kiyana Marie

Submitted to Contest #235

With countless hours spent scrolling on YouTube watching beauty gurus vlog themselves, shopping at Target, watching comedy skits filmed in their backyard, and even watching stoners unboxing their new bong rigs in their bedrooms filled with black-light posters, I thought, Why couldn’t I do the same thing? What makes them special?I needed a niche, though—something the same but different from everyone else. What was I supposed to film every week with no interests, no hobbies, and absolutely no talents? ****December 20th, 2017 would change ...

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“The Underdistrict ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #235

The rain was falling in sheets as four very different individuals stood outside the temple and a fifth pressed her snout to the bars of the interior: There was a large male reptiloid shouldering a large sword, a male rat in a coat, a female ferret wrapped in a cloak, and an otter priestess. The one within - a female meerkat - stared at the four quizzically. Standing some feet away in a semicircle was a mob of various beasts wearing masks and cloaks, staring and waiting for the smaller group to make a move. “Enough of this prattle,”...

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“Lucy's Last Run” by Sarah Mahon

Submitted to Contest #235

She's putting on her shoes again, the black ones with the bright blue accents so I know exactly what comes next. And that's her blue hat. I know what's going to happen.We run.Out the door and into piercing, ice-cold air but that doesn't particularly matter because we'll warm up. Although... my feet are cold...No matter! I'm still ready to go, go, go! I've always had more energy than mother but that's okay. She's still my favourite person.We're passing my friend's house now, Daisy is her name. She didn't tell me it herself, but her mother did...

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“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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“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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“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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“Foot, foot, foot, breath, foot, foot, foot, breath.” by Jacob William Toner

Submitted to Contest #235

It is behind me, it is with me, it is ahead of me. The rhythm, the run. Foot, foot, foot, breath, foot, foot, foot, breath, that rhythm has kept me going, not running from somewhere, not running to somewhere, simply running to right now. There is a bird above me, noticing her, I look up from the track, she doesn’t look down from her’s. She has her eyes set on the horizon, I follow her eyeline, funny to think I could run there if I tried, I turn left instead. Back amongst the houses, between the two that make the wind tunnel, launching ...

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“The Woods” by Sarah Propst

Submitted to Contest #235

The music was blasting from downstairs, I could hear the laughter from the others, they all sound happy, but that could also be from the booze they are drinking. I finish getting ready, the final touch being an oversized sweater that I had thrifted last week. “You got this,” I say to myself in the mirror. As I make my way out of the room, I can hear distant conversations from everyone in the cabin. Just one foot after the other, I tell myself as I make my way down the stairs. As people began to spot me, they began to quiet down and speak in ...

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“TOLBERT” by MIke JOHNSON

Submitted to Contest #235

Tolbert was not ambitious, living contentedly in a quiet, structured environment. Although unhampered by higher mental functions, the low cunning he possessed was adequate for his survival. Drifting peacefully, he would gaze through the glass at a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. Within the glass, he could study the accessories that were deemed necessary for goldfish happiness. There was a thick layer of sanitized gravel supporting green artificial water weeds of shape and form quite unknown to To...

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“Labyrinth ” by Savannah Campbell

Submitted to Contest #235

It’s the uneasy quiet that gets her attention first. Walking through the strange environment, she knows she’s not unaccustomed to silence. Being the introvert that she is, sometimes a quiet day is a welcome reprieve. Feeling the wind blow over her shirt sends a different chill down her spine. “This kind of quiet makes me go too far into my own mind,” she says and looks a...

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“Apocalypse in Bonds” by Makenzie Wright

Submitted to Contest #235

Apocalypse in Bonds Maybe it was the way X looked at me, but something in his eyes said he was amused. When you know someone who's been through so much, so much horror and pain, seeing his eyes glimmer was something else, as his deep voice with his heavy German accent slowly said “You’re such a good kiddo, Tobes.” His voice cracked a bit, as if he were going to too. Maybe it was when his strong scarred arms wrapped around me tightly. Every ruffle of cut skin against my fragile body, as if testing my bones. You could have sworn he had a...

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“Larry and Ralph” by Gina Grissom

Submitted to Contest #235

Larry and Ralph In the early hours of Monday morning, Larry woke up and tugged on the loop, holding him to Ralph. They were lying next to each other in the corner, discarded, left to recover until dawn when the monster would seize them, and the punishment would start all over again. Days and days and days of abuse. Larry didn’t think he could take it much longer. He knew Ralph was worse off, bruised from slipping the day before and tearing his mudguard. The monster hadn’t cared about the pain or the harm done. It growled at them and press...

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$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 02, 2024 EST

Won by Kajsa Ohman 🏆

Title: KILLER IN THE WILLOWS

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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