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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

“SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE ” by Nicholas De Waal

Submitted to Contest #235

On those long, languid evenings at the table, when the familiar chatter of dinner tinkerings articulated the space of his little home, Hare would often afford himself the greatest of pleasures. He would draw into himself, stare long and hard at the trophies and race memorabilia on the adjacent wall until his home seemed to disappear and he would be back there. He was convinced no other animal in the forest could have ever felt any feeling close to it. The feeling of standing at that starting line, the forest alive with the hum of collective ...

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“The Race” by Michael Robinson

Submitted to Contest #235

As I walked onto the hippodrome in Antioch and its cheering crowds, I wondered how I let Acco talk me into this insane race. It was a week ago, I had just finished a race in Magna Leptis and was celebrating my victory in the local brothel. I sat in the waiting lounge, sipping the local vintage and waiting for Johanna, my evening choice, when Acco sat at the table. Acco was from Gaul, with black hair cropped close to his skull. He was a charioteer before becoming my agent, and he still had the athletic build of a racer...

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“Fun Run” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #235

Rosa checks her fanny pack: keys, subway pass, bottled water, and a carefully wrapped sandwich: it’s all there. Nearby, a line of pink feather boas undulates, as seven women wearing Fun Run T-shirts break into a rhyming cheer: Who are we running for? Who do we adore? It’s Ginnie, Ginnie, Ginnie Moore! Each repetition of the name is louder, and the boas are shaken higher. Wasteful enthusiasm: these women should conserve every nanowatt of energy if they want to finish the race, as sixty-year-old Rosa is planning to do. The doggerel ends wi...

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“Dragons and Evil Spirits” by Diane Shubinsky

Submitted to Contest #235

DRAGONS AND EVIL SPIRITS She phoned again. It took time till someone answered, then the sleepy voice asked, “Who is this?” “Yusef was a wonderful husband,” she said. “And a wonderful lover.” “Who is this?” the voice asked again. “I was only fifteen when I married him. ‘Young and pretty like a butterfly,’ Yusef used to say.” The phone went dead, and the happy memories closed within her. Should she go to bed? She’d had her four phone calls. There was a creak behind her. Nura whirled round and saw Abdullah. Their eyes met; he smirked an...

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“Track and Field Theory” by Ethan Zimmerman

Submitted to Contest #235

Track and Field Theory At the 3.14159265359 mile mark of my run, I began to limp and had to stop. I thought I must have a foreign particle in my shoe, so I stopped and leaned on an electromagnetic post. I removed my right shoe, touching the toe of my sock-covered foot to the pavement. I inspected the sole and the shoe's inside; nothing was detectable. Then I heard a big bang. The theoretical physicist Lisa Randall tapped me on the shoulder. Her ...

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“THE SNEAKERS IN HER CLOSET” by Marion Cohen

Submitted to Contest #235

When Marissa Pelka decided to take advantage of an early retirement offer from the suburban New Jersey school district where she had been teaching for more than two decades, she was filled with many emotions. She had enjoyed a very satisfying career for close to 27 years while exposing teenagers to many aspects of fine arts in her classroom. Marissa also experienced much pleasure in fostering an environment where her students could discover their own artistic abilities. ...

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“Death of an identity” by Helen Power

Submitted to Contest #235

The wicked fairy pointed her gnarly magic wand at me and delivered her curse. “You will never run again,” she spat, as the hair on the wart on her chin wobbled with the force of her words. “For all your sins, your slovenly ways… Your punishment is that you will never run again!” Well… that’s not exactly how it went down. In actual fact the wicked fairy was a condescending orthopaedic surgeon, who looked at me down his haughty nose as he made his pronouncement. “I don’t know what part of stupid you don’t unde...

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“The Winds of Change” by Kayla Shay Gibson

Submitted to Contest #235

The sound of a glass crashing into a hundred pieces still sparks a trigger in me. The breaking of furniture and the wailing cry of Elliot as Mum and Dad fought. I can still smell the week-old whiskey drenched into our couch as Dad would often pass out in a drunk haze. Mum wouldn't let him sleep in the room anymore. It was a never-ending war raging through our home; I wondered if anything would ever change. I would watch over Elliot as Mum did her daily morning shift at Rockwell Cafe; the mornings were most peaceful. Dad would wander out of t...

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“Running for Good” by Jordan Tyler

Submitted to Contest #235

Howling laughter turns into screams as the young robber is met with a brick wall on the other side of the thorn bushes that he was sure would lead to his freedom. What should’ve been another easy heist has suddenly turned awry. How was he to know that the old shop keeper would be coming back early from vacation? How could he have ever predicted he’d injure his hip walking off of the plane and have to return home the very next day? How could he have not seen him lock the front door just as he snuck in through the back window? He’d neve...

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“Lucky” by Lisa Brady

Submitted to Contest #235

I wake up with my ears first. The sound of the beeping machine is a constant reminder that I am not in my comfortable bed, in my comfortable home, with my three dogs surrounding me. My eyes fight me but I open them anyway. The gloomy luminescence from strategically placed florescent light bulbs wars with the bright sunshine creeping around the blackout curtains. It matches my moods…one bright and hopeful—thankful to be alive; the other, somber and scared for the future. I try not to dwell on the pain that is already taking aho...

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“The Final Bell Tolls” by Roger Whistle

Submitted to Contest #235

It was the waning months of the school year at Jefferson High, and Mr. Thompson was a nervous wreck. Disheveled and unkempt, with his ill-fitting suit and expanding waistline, he knew his time was nearly up. The principal had no plans to renew his contract when it expired soon. He loathed Thompson's tedious and convoluted global studies assignments, as did the students. But Thompson fancied himself a phenomenal educator, oblivious to the scorn of his pupils and peers. Thompson's classes were miserable for the students. He belittled them for ...

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“A Waste of Time” by Sydney Marshall

Submitted to Contest #235

Brett's whole body ached. His lungs burned with every breath, his heart was hammering against his ribs, and his legs felt like jelly. He kept running, though. He had to keep running. What had started as a dull roar behind him had swelled to a deafening groan that vibrated through Brett's whole body. The trees around him were bending in the wind, leaves and branches stinging where they hit his body. All Brett wanted to do was stop running, catch his breath, crawl into a hole and cry, but he had to keep running. Unfortunately, he was starti...

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“The Endless Chase: A Horror Short Story” by Daniel Aldridge

Submitted to Contest #235

Once, there was a young girl named Sue who could run in an unusual way. Sue would fall asleep, and once asleep, she would find herself in a peculiar world run by sinister creatures. These creatures had long, dark tentacles that they would use to ensnare their victims. Sue was never worried because she knew she had the power to control everything in her dream world. That changed one night when Sue fell asleep on a car ride with her parents to the beach. As Sue drifted off to her slumbering world of mystery and horror, she noticed something w...

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“Miles” by Alexander Johnson

Submitted to Contest #235

I boot up in the research lab excited for a fitness session, but I’m unaware that the world will end in a month.“It’s a beautiful day for some exercise! Let’s warm up by going for a jog.” My motors whir and I print a big smile on my face screen. My first client is a woman named Amanda. She’s 37 and weighs 165 pounds and I like her a lot. She’s the best client I’ve ever had. I’m so excited to make her day better with a workout.“Hi Miles, we’re just checking diagnostics,” says Amanda as her nails click on a laptop. I give a thumbs up...

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“A Man Can't Run Forever” by Zack Herman

Submitted to Contest #235

The pickup truck that I’m riding in the back of pulls into the gavel parking lot of Colwell Brothers Funeral Home. The truck comes to a stop. I hop out of the truck and knock on the driver’s side window. The elderly man who gave me a ride from West Liberty rolls down the window. “Hey, mister, thanks a lot!” I tell him. “No problem,” he says with a toothless smile. His wife, seated beside him smiles and nods at me. “We are sure sorry about your granny, young feller, “ she says. “We’ll pray for y’all.” “We need all that we can get,” I re...

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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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