The half-marathon

surrounded in the cold mist,
by hundreds of other runners,
so healthy we glow with energy
yet we stamp our feet
and complain of aches and pains,
but we transform
when the pop of the starters gun sounds;
we take off
with a triumphant cry,
it is a three race combination,
a five-k, a ten-k, and
the half-marathon,
the pack thins at one and a half miles
when the five-k runners turn and head back,
then at three miles, the ten-k runners turn,
when they turn i am nearly alone
and i am content with my own self,
i am now hot and the next ten miles are mine,
i slowly catch and pass five other runners
who suffer but smile.
I finish in 118 minutes.

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