Finishing the Race...Together

It was cold. Windy and cold. The waves by the boardwalk were enormous. The crowd of people overwhelming. This was it. This was what I had waited for. Two commands, "Ready. Go," and then we were off. Together.

The sound of hundreds of footsteps on the boardwalk was almost loud enough to distract me from hearing my heart pounding in my chest. I felt like I could do anything at that very moment, yet all I really needed to do was finish the race. During the first few miles, I felt strong and steady with the wind at my back. After one look at her running by my side, I knew that she felt the same. We had set our pace together.

At the halfway point, we knew it was time. We turned around and then it hit us. The wind was fierce. The struggle to fight against it was a battle, but we were ready. Still, the sand that blew wildly around us blinded our eyes. It only allowed us to follow behind those in front of us. With eyes barely opened, we could hardly hear those on the sidelines that were cheering us on. We kept running.

One mile to go and a cramp. "Go on," she waved. I saw it in her face, and I understood the look in her eyes. She was in pain. "No!" I shouted back, "We start together. We finish together." She fought back and pushed herself on. I saw her strength and her beauty in that moment. I saw the girl I always looked up to and wanted to be like. I saw my sister.

At the start, I just wanted to finish. At the finish, I realized that finishing together was what this race was all about. Approaching the finish line is now a blur, but I do remember one thing. I took my sister's hand as we crossed the finish line. This wasn't just my race. This was our race. And we finished it together.