It Was a Two-Part Competition

It was a two-part competition. First of all, it was a mile race on the high school track. There were 16 teenage boys in the competition, representing different schools in the area. This was, of course, well known to the bulk of the audience that had gathered to watch the boys running. They were rooting for the boys that went to their school, named Hilton High School. Current and former students were there to cheer them on.

Then there was a second competition, known only to two of the runners, both representing the same school, the one that was hosting the event. Arthur and Antoine were those two runners. They were competing for the affection of the fair Marie, who was watching the race intently. She had won the girls race by a significant margin just a half hour ago, a win that would insure her an entry in the province wide race that would follow in two weeks time.

Was she aware of the other competition? She might have wondered, but she wasn’t sure. And she certainly would not have admitted, even to herself, that one of the boys was the one that she wanted to win. She did want the winner of the race to be someone from her school.

Arthur and Antoine both felt that they would have to win the race so they could spend time with the fair Marie. If there were two winners from their school, they would have their pictures taken together by someone from the school newspaper, and they both would be going together for the province-wide race. That could give the male winner the opportunity to spend time with Marie, and maybe develop a relationship with her as well. They both had that hope.

They Line Up for the Race

           As Arthur and Antoine were the only competitors from their school, there was a lot of cheering directed their way as they lined up on the track. They both acknowledged this support with waves to the crowd. This race has something of a history over the many years of the school, so there were a few old timers in the crowd, who had once been competitors, a few even had been winners.  One of them looked especially old. He could barely stand, and leaned very heavily on his cane. It was hard to imagine that he had been able to run as fast as the boys currently on the track on which he once raced.

The two local boys stood on opposite sides of the track , Arthur to the left, on the inside of the track and Antoine to the right on the outside of the track. They didn’t want even to look at each other at this part of the race. It might bring bad luck.

The First Two Laps Around the Track

On the first lap around the track there wasn’t much distance between the first and last runners. You could tell that it was going to be a close race. Arthur and Antoine were both among those vying for first, turning their heads several times to see where the other one was. When they passed Marie, at the point that would eventually be the finish line, she cheered them on with “Come on boys, win for Hilton High. Win for your school.” She was notably not choosing a favourite among the two to be the eventual winner. Both Arthur and Antoine waved to her, each one hoping that it was really just him that she wanted to win.

By the end of the second lap there were leaders and stragglers. Both of the Hilton High boys were part of the foremost group, each one having what appeared to be ‘his turn’ to lead all of the others in the pack of leaders One would be in the lead by a yard or two in front of the other, maintaining that lead for a short period of time, before the other caught up and passed him, only to be passed himself a short distance down the track. 

The Last Two Laps

By the beginning of the third lap nothing was yet resolved.  That ‘their boys’ were among the leaders made the local crowd cheer louder when they passed what would be the eventual finish line at the end of the second lap. Even the old man with the cane issued what passed for a loud cheer, which was followed by a brief coughing fit, and a dropping of his cane. He had it picked up and handed back to him by Marie, who was his youngest granddaughter, and if he were to be honest, his very favourite one.

Beginning halfway through the third lap, it began to look like it was possible that either Arthur or Antoine could be the winner even though their lead was never more than  a yard or two ahead of the others at any one time. The cheers for the Hilton High boys rose as their fans saw them both among the leaders at the end of the third lap. It looked possible that the ‘home team’ could be rewarding them with a victory.   The last lap would provide the answer to that.

The one leading the pack changed several times . This brought a silence to the crowd as their boys were only two of five different people who had held the lead at some point in the first half of the fourth and final lap.

The last curve was rounded, and Antoine got a slight lead with four others close enough that they would not be deluding themselves in imagining that they might be able to gain the lead in the last 100 yards.

The crowd got louder as the runners approached the finish line, and Antoine increased his lead slightly. It did look like he could be the winner. 

One of the loudest members of the crowd was the old man. This time the coughing fit caused him to fall forward onto the right side of the track, where Antoine was running followed by several who were only about two yards behind, striving to catch up to him, inching their way closer and closer. Antoine could hear their heavy breathing.

He pumped his arms as he tried to run faster and faster. Then he saw the old man. He might have been able to leap over him, but the thought struck him that those behind him would run the old man down. He came to a sudden stop to bend down to move the old man off of the track. This cost him a victory, but he felt it was worth it in saving the old man from being trampled.

As it turned out Arthur was the leader of the pack that had been a few steps behind Antoine. He leapt over Antoine, almost hitting the old man with his spiked shoes. But he still won the race.

Marie came forward, Arthur thought it was to congratulate him. But he was wrong. She passed him by and went straight to Antoine to give him a hug for rescuing her grandfather. He may have lost one competition, but he had won the other, without knowing beforehand that the old man was Marie’s grandfather.