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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 – 123 stories

Make a race an important element of your story.

Narrative – 44 stories

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Character – 43 stories

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

Dialogue – 65 stories

Stories

“One Can Only Hope” by Helen Anderson

Submitted to Contest #235

One Can Only Hope They thundered down the final straight. The crowd leapt to their feet, clamouring to see the finish. The horses, their gleaming coats dripping white foam, nostrils flared. Jockeys in brightly coloured silks waved their whips in a flurry. Louder… Faster… The grandstand erupted in unison as they flashed past the post in a blur of colours, horses and whips. Then it was over. The young strapper, buzzing with adrenaline, retrieved the winner. The filly shied away, startled by her excess energy. By her side, Suzanne Smith, ...

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“The Postpartum Run” by Radhika Nair

Submitted to Contest #235

February 20th, 2020 On the day of the C-section, a part of me was scared and dreading what was to come next. My whole body had become alien at this point, things stretched to a point that I feared I would not be whole again. But today was the day I would be free. Year Before - June 1st, 2019 “I am almost done, coming home” I texted my husband, “just one more mile to finish my 8 miles for today” I was proud. The next day brought me a surprise, I was expecting. One part of me was happy and the other part preparing for a long mental marathon....

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“A Race for the Ages” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #235

The Hare pushed his way through the crowd, glad-handing the gentlemen, signing autographs, and availing himself of his handsomeness for selfies with the ladies; reassuring all and sundry with an excess of caffeinated wakefulness that this time he would prevail in the race. He punched the air theatrically, and the crowd cheered with effervescent joy, confident in a crushing victory for the famed speedster, not to mention – for a few – a modest return on their wagers with the bookmaker. The Hare was the crowd favorite.As for the Tortoise,...

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“State” by Cameron Navarre

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #235

A gunshot crackles through the air. You flinch. A wisp of smoke rises across the field. A blur of bodies bursts away from the gunman. Arms and legs swing furiously. You anxiously shift your weight back and forth. Your foot begins to shake. Breathe. The mass of sprinting bodies curves and hurtles towards you. You stare at the white tape on the ground in front of you. If you start too early or too late, you’ll never recover. Wait. The screaming and yelling swells. Wait. Your hearts pounding, your fight-or-flight instincts scream for rele...

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“Rotting Kelp ” by Kacie Foos

Submitted to Contest #235

My Mother Jan had survived chemo. During that year of treatment I had felt that I had no control of my life. I was living in Hollywood, California and my parents were north in Spokane, Washington. It was agony to have my mother so far away and facing such a horrible part of her life. I flew to be with her to take her to her first round of treatment and it was something I'll never forget. It was gut wrenching to feel so helpless and watch someone I loved so dearly facing such a terrible disease. I felt like I needed something in my life that ...

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“The Principle of Magnetism” by Ariel Sycorax

Submitted to Contest #235

Sigmund sat in near darkness, the room lit only by the dim glow of the nightlight in the wall behind him. He waited patiently for the manifestation of his fortune. It was inevitable at this point. He took a deep breath to calm the collywobbles overwhelming his stomach and chest. Sigmund willed himself to remain calm and not run like a coward. This was meant to be, he reminded himself, he had to go through with it.The man now understood everything about himself ever since reading the self-help book he’d picked up at the New Age shop. It had b...

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“Alexithymia” by Amari Leiva Urzua

Submitted to Contest #235

I can’t run anymore.Bland,white,plain.Wake, eat, sleep.Life in six words.Six syllables. Thirty-Two letters.I wake, make my bed, work, eat, work, and sleep. All the while, I’m hiding, heaving, dying. Running? Sure, running in circles.But they don’t need to know that.What do you do?I wake, make my bed, work, eat, work, and sleep.My life since 3021.AX1-19, the virus that rid 95% of Earth from feeling.The last light of human nature, Cracked, &nbsp...

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“Mind of a Flying Bird” by Sophie Riley

Submitted to Contest #235

[This is the first chapter of a novel about grief, based on a runner. It contains themes of death and mental health.] It was April, the first year without my brother, and I was throwing up in a bed of hyacinths. I only knew they were hyacinths because Mom had some planted in our garden back in New York, and for days she talked about how the landscapers put them in lopsided. I didn’t know flowers could be lopsided. That’s what I thought about as I sat there in the dirt, staring dizzy at the flowers, wet and blue and bright. ...

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“Tired” by Lucius Doon

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can't run forever,” I heard myself say aloud. Physically. Idealistically, nor emotionally. You can’t outrun memories, feelings, regret, nor the past. The past lives with us forever. It is who we are. Without the past we are nothing. Without the future we are never becoming. Becoming what? Well, that is the question. Can you ever truly become someone if you spend your life running? You can’t outrun your problems. You can’t outrun your choices. The best you can do is accept the consequences. Knowing this, and...

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“Dream” by Abbey Light

Submitted to Contest #235

Beep… Beep… Beep…The last couple of days I’ve been hearing things: this incessant beeping, faint but entirely infuriating, and occasionally… voices, I think? Little whispers or pieces of conversations every so often, but none of it makes much sense.I’m probably just going crazy.I’m sitting at my desk at work, rubbing my temples to stave off the dull ache in my head that’s been growing for days. It’s 4:43 and my half-finished article on the new bookstore opening up downtown sits dormant on my desktop, the cursor blinking tauntingly at me. It ...

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“HIDE AND SEEK” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #235

"You can't run forever." My sweet girl. No matter where you go, I will always find you. Hiding from me only makes things worse. My sweet Sadie, I'm coming for you. I've been running for so long I don't know what day of the month it is or even the year. Is it Monday or Friday? I just don't know. I don't even know where I am. It's been so long since I stayed in one place. I'm scared. I witness something horrible. Something that has haunted my memory for the last two years. Do you want to know the worst part? I knew them. Oh God! I knew the...

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“There Is Always Hope” by Alexandra Costigan

Submitted to Contest #235

Droplets rained down from the rooftops above, fat globs of water that crawled their way down Alex’s face as he carefully, frantically made his way down the alleyway. He peered around the corner with bated breath. The coast was clear. Quickly, swiftly, cat like he made his way down the cobblestone street, the voices behind him barely making themselves known, a whisper on the wind. He wondered what they were saying, but he let the thought go as soon as it arose. He couldn’t afford to lose a second of his focus, or it could be all over.&nb...

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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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“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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$250

Prize money

312

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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