The Marathon

She was a runner. Ever since she could remember. Running barefoot everywhere. in High School she did tracks but then stopped for a while. A spin of depressions and lousy affairs. A spiral down the drain. It was many years later, now in her mid-twenties, that she met her companion. A safety nest. Her lover encouraged always supportive, helping her to get away from the booze and the drugs and get back on her feet.

Starting slowly with long walks in the park. Rain or shine. Walk a bit, walk more. Fresh air in the lungs. Enjoying the outside, people walking the dog, smiling. Gradually increasing the length, from half a mile to a mile, then a break, to get the body re-used to the stress, careful with the knees (was it tooooooo much pressure?).

It took a long time for her lover to put the idea in her head that she could it it. Shea was barely running a few miles in the park, not even getting too worry about specific diets or training schedules yet. Just getting back into shape and having fun.

But her lover was sneaky, in a way, had a plan for her in her mind. Jenny suspected that much but did not want to be convinced yet. But that came gradually. Her lover, the charming Lucy, brought her shopping. Never mind classy dresses and paillette. First stop, the sports shop for the appropriate loose clothing and running shoes. She was being pampered and loved it.

''Sneaky Lucy'' as she lovingly referred to her mate, then eventually started to make the appropriate changes to her diet. A diet high in carbohydrates, proteins and calcium. progressively.

Martina was a week-end jogger. Always the envious one, always jealous of the other person's success. never satisfied with her salary, wishing to find ways to improve her social status in life...envying the Joneses, as it were. She worked as accountant in a five-star restaurant, worked there for years. Her boss, mister Margolis, trusted her completely. The restaurant made tons of money, never gave more than a passing look at the books, thus she was able to skim a nice bit and put it aside for a rainy day. But that never came, there was never enough and she always spent it more readily. As far as he knew, she lived alone and took her yearly vacation at a nearby and very affordable resort, not even imagining that he was providing her with a first class yearly trip to Europe, Paris and Milan being her favorite destinations.

But she also liked to keep her handsome figure. Loved to see the lust in the eyes of the men she crossed on the path. At times she even took one of them back home for a nice round of pleasure in the sack, but no more. She had no desire for complications.

Jenny had been running for months. With encouragements from Lucy, her tempo increased from a thirty minutes non-stop run and so over a few months. But, other parts of her body had to bear the load, so to the swimming pool it was once or twice a week and bicycling to and from work. She thought her lover was a slave-driver but she secretly loved it and aimed to please.

True, there wer also many sacrifices. Who preferred yogurt over a double-double coffee or a large pizza, double cheese? But the reward was that she was now running ten miles at a stretch, her

muscularskeletal system getting stronger. Alternating long runs with short ones, she was now heading for the next step, the big twenty-six marathon miles.

Marita was sitting in the shade after a few miles run. Enjoying a light repast, always mindful of her figure, a nice salad and a glass of red wine. She could not understand the craze about white wines. Might as well be drinking water. She simply relaxed and mused, watching the kids guiding their small boats on the lake.

She knew she would have to have a plan if she wanted to get her hands on that Pot of Gold, the first prize for the upcoming marathon. No way would she run that whole distance. But how to do this? She was momentarily stopped in her thoughts by the approach of a real Adonis. She was pleased to let him sit by her side, they chatted a bit, and she decided that she really really really could not miss this opportunity and made him welcome to take a walk back with her to her apartment. How could she resist the thought of the kisses, the caresses and that other form of physical exercise which would drain a lovely amount of energy.

The marathon was now one week away. Time to stop the training and give the body a bit of repose. Still on with the diet of carbohydrates, including pasta and apples. Proteins, yes, chicken, eggs, peanut butter and lean beef. As Lucy was an excellent cook, she was pleased to eat what was presented. Always a feast, really. Ok, not the huge dinner fests that one sees in commercials during Holydays times, bur a feast for her nonetheless, her shot at a good place finish in the marathon.....and why not first place, an idea devilishly placed in her head by sweet Lucy.

The Big Day came. All preparations done. Proper clothing, plenty of time taken to get to the Marathon reception booth for the registration. Calm and no worry. Thousand of people on the starting line, anxiously waiting for the GO signal, revewing the marathon in her mind, how she would slow down here and increase her tempo there. breathing in and out.

Then the signal and on their way for the gruelling run.

It was only a mile or two before the finish line that also a person or two noticed something strange but paid no mind, they had a race to run. The finish line was in view and Jenny knew she had a shot at winning....but then on her left side, a person appeared, ran ahead, crossed the finish line and won. Totally exhausted, it seemed, and this Marita person accepting First Prize..........It was only later that it was established that she had taken the subway and discreetly re-entered the race two miles before the end, the cheat.