Crunching of thin, dried leaves below 40 galloping feet echo from afar,
panting heard louder as people approach,
the thud of racing hearts as people stumble by,
songs from birds encouraging the team to continue on.
“Everyone stay together!”

Swaying leaves fall from the now bare trees,
white socks slowly turn into a dark brown,
mosquitos swarm our glistening bodies.
“Don’t stop, keep going!”

Sun, beaming off the road as we near the end of the wooded path,
shines off galloping horses as we cross the road,
screeching whistles sang from different directions around the football field,
“We’re halfway there!”

One more dreaded obstacle on the way to success,
the pace gradually picking up as we begin to see our coaches,
our legs growing weaker as we turn the last corner,
to hear our friends and coaches cheering,
“Finish strong, ladies!”

Panting, louder with no deep breaths of air left,
gasp as we gulp the last of our water,
waiting for our energy to restore as we continue practice.
“You did it!”