Make a race an important element of your story.

Posted in Narrative on Jan 26, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 44 stories

“THE LONG DEATH OF THE NATURAL HORSE” by Aaron Bowen

Submitted to Contest #235

The sterile floor clicked beneath the steel couplings affixed to the soles of Evinflo Calabash’s knee-high boots. He passed stalls, as he went, and from each he heard the hiss and beep of the systems that assured the veterinary engineer that the horses were functioning normally. Beyond the windows, he could hear the crowd beginning to gather in the stands, and could almost picture the white of boater hats, linen suits, and hoop-skirted dresses. A muscle in his neck twitched, and he slapped at it, approaching his anim...

4 comments 4

Read story

“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...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Amazing Race” by Polani Monderen

Submitted to Contest #235

The Amazing Race, does it ring a bell? It may if we are contemporaries, and if we are not it probably won’t make a lick of sense though hopefully by the end of this, you will find some appreciation for it. For me, the only thing that rings is a loud laugh from deep within at a younger version of me. As a proper 90’s baby, I grew up anticipating new, weekly episodes, of prerecorded humans fighting for the top spot in a reality show that brought the family together, no matter what the events of the day held. There are a few reasons this flashb...

3 comments 3

Read story

“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 ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Machine” by Amanda Song

Submitted to Contest #235

Beep, beep-beep, beep!New sound, new routine. My ears flick backward and forward, triangulating the source. There, in the center of the room, is a monstrous contraption my human installed the day before. It’s all wrong. The smell, the sight of it. The attention Sarah gives it as she taps the front panel.I stretch and jump down from my perch atop the cat tree. As I pad to the hulking grey and black beast, Sarah pauses to watch me. I sense her hold her breath the way she does when she’s curious to see how I act and afraid that the slighte...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Last Half” by Conrado Maher

Submitted to Contest #235

Wake up at 5:30 AM. Downstairs to the kitchen. Coffee. Water. Wolf down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for fuel. Back upstairs to the bathroom, once my body decides it wants to leave yesterday behind. Some days it takes a second cup of coffee.Take a shower. I feel better, more awake. I also want to be nice to the others in my pace group. I run hot, and generate a lot of sweat. Don’t want to start out smelling like a wet dog.Put on running clothes set out the night before. Grab a bag with extra clothes. A spring half-marathon me...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Running Wild” by Kasie Suderman

Submitted to Contest #235

Running Wild The sun sets on the Sahara, blood red seeping into tangerine, as I stumble out of bed. I’m rarely up early enough to see a sunset but something woke me, and now I’m too curious to sleep. My belly is rumbling and I’m in search of a nibble. What did I hear that pulled me from slumber? Sounded like a flock of geese but the earth shook above my head so it couldn’t have been fowl. There it is again, chattering. I scurry faster, my long quills sway with the movement of my hips. Better keep to the shadows, maybe I’ll find some grubs...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Promise” by Jesse Upchurch

Submitted to Contest #235

The day after he graduated from high school, Christopher got in the sedan he had purchased – with no help from his father – and pulled away from his childhood home. He had already said his goodbyes to everyone he cared to say goodbye to. His anatomy teacher, Mrs. Senecal, had wished him luck and reminded him of her offer to call a colleague in Boston about a job. “No, you have done so much for me already. Thank you, Mrs. Senecal. I will never forget you!” The conversation played over in his head as he drove down the familiar streets, not lo...

0 comments 0

Read story

“To Save a Boy” by Zachary Thomas

Submitted to Contest #235

He had to find him. He had to reach him in time, going back through time, because his thoughts would not let him forget. That boy. That awkward thing with gangly limbs and a brain tweaked by hormones, standing on a rock in the wilderness alone. He had to get to him before the prowlers could. To put his arms around him and tell him that life was ahead of him and not behind–to help him lift his chin and scatter his emotions. To help him see there is a time and a season for everything, and to be young is to be dumb. “Did you bring the righ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Breath of Resilience” by Regina Jiang

Submitted to Contest #235

I stand at the start line, my heart pounding with anticipation, my feet jiggling with excitement. The cool morning air fills my lungs as I glance around, taking in the scene around me. The crowd, buzzing with energy around me, cheering for their loved ones. Runners, of all age and size, each determined to complete these 26 miles. They all seem so strong, so capable, and for a moment, doubt creeps into my mind. How could a teenage girl with asthma possibly complete this grueling marathon? 26 flipping miles. My name is Emily, and today, I am...

1 comment 1

Read story

“John Paul, from TV” by Christopher Kooker

Submitted to Contest #235

Two weeks before election day in Columbus, Ohio, everybody already knew that John Paul Anderson would win. After all, abortion had become a swing issue and his challenger was saying all the wrong things. Furthermore, several key precincts were majority Black, so it was simple demographics. Perhaps a select few people even knew about the internal scandal brewing in his opponent’s camp, which threatened to topple the nascent campaign and all but gift wrap the seat for John Paul. The actual voting promised to be little more than a display of ci...

2 comments 2

Read story

“How I Didn't Run A Marathon” by Ingrid Pearson

Submitted to Contest #235

*Content warning: Physical hardship and death. When I turned 45 I started running. Not running-running, like sprinting down the street, but more of a walk-a-block/jog-a-block combo of gaits. As that became easier, I'd walk less and jog more. I celebrated as though I'd just won Olympic gold when I finally jogged a mile without any walking in between. I started trying to improve my timed distance. I bought running shoes and running clothes. I swallowed nasty-tasting energy gels as I ran. I was hooked. For ye...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Race Day” by Kendra Worrell

Submitted to Contest #235

I jogged in place trying to stay warm, shifting my weight from side to side, gently stretching to keep my body moving without exerting too much energy. After a warm up run and some stretching, I squeezed into a wetsuit, pulled the tight swim cap over my head, topped the cap with goggles for later and joined the masses of participants gathering by the water, waiting for their wave to start the race. Training had not gone as planned. After a great start to the season, I had fallen off training in the last couple months before the rac...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Race - a continuum” by Maria Jansen

Submitted to Contest #235

The early morning was clear and crisp. The Jacaranda flowers made their usual pleasant squelching, crushing noise under my feet as I jogged. From the mountaintop that I had crested I could see the entire Tshwane in its splendid coat of purple flowers, heralding in the summer and the imminent examinations for school children and university students alike. I had studied hard and trained religiously to maintain a healthy mind and body and to be best prepared for the coming examination. Exhilaration flooded my body. It was my final yea...

0 comments 0

Read story

🌟 Similar 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

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

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Running Wild

$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

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Make a race an important element of your story.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 44 stories

“THE LONG DEATH OF THE NATURAL HORSE” by Aaron Bowen

“Fun Run” by VJ Hamilton

“Amazing Race” by Polani Monderen

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

“The Machine” by Amanda Song

“The Last Half” by Conrado Maher

“Running Wild” by Kasie Suderman

“The Promise” by Jesse Upchurch

“To Save a Boy” by Zachary Thomas

“Breath of Resilience” by Regina Jiang

“John Paul, from TV” by Christopher Kooker

“How I Didn't Run A Marathon” by Ingrid Pearson

“Race Day” by Kendra Worrell

“Race - a continuum” by Maria Jansen

🌟 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.

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: