Good luck today! Xx
Mum and Dad:
So proud of you, sweetheart. We’ll be cheering you on! Just keep running! Xxx
Alfie:
‘Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’ T. S. Eliot
She stares at the last message, swallowing hard. She hasn’t replied to any of his ‘Just checking in’ messages since their tourist day out. With a shake of her head, she zips her phone into her running pouch and bounces on the spot to keep warm. An overhead announcement tells her that it’s just a few minutes until start time. Is she really about to do this?
‘Tilly!’
At first she can’t see anyone she knows amongst the crowds. But then, there’s Harper, dressed in the same purple leggings and top they wore for their first run together, weaving through the crowd. Her hair is shorter, worn in tiny pigtails. It’s strange to see her sister after so long, and even stranger not to step closer and pull her into a hug. But Tilly remains frozen on the spot.
‘I’m so glad I found you,’ Harper says breathlessly as she stops alongside Tilly, doing a couple of stretches. ‘I thought I’d never find you. I was almost hoping you’d decided to dress as a banana or something.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’m doing the same thing as you,’ Harper replies, her voice firm with the stubbornness Tilly remembers from childhood when Harper was learning to ride a bike and kept falling off but getting straight back on again. ‘You signed us up to do this together, remember? And so that’s what we’re going to do.’
‘But that was before … everything.’
‘I know,’ replies Harper. ‘And I know you said you needed space. But it’s been months.’
‘Everyone, will you take your places, the race will begin shortly!’
A voice booms over the speakers and a ripple of nervousenergy spreads through the crowds. People hop up and down on the spot, doing their final preparations. Tilly tightens her ponytail, trying her best to focus on the race ahead and not on the sight of Harper doing quad stretches beside her.
‘Tilly, come on …’
‘Not now, Harper!’
A countdown begins over the speakers and the people in their time section take their places.
‘Three, two, one, off you go!’
There’s a great surge of movement and Tilly is swept up in it, her feet lifting as she begins to jog. At first the crowd is tightly packed and she has to work hard not to trip over, but before too long space begins to open up as the faster runners move ahead and everyone finds their rhythm. Tilly settles into a steady pace, conscious of the thirteen miles that lie ahead. Sensing a presence, she turns to see Harper jogging steadfastly beside her.
Tilly speeds up, pushing away from her sister through the crowds. After a while Tilly slows to a normal jog again. But a few seconds later Harper is there at her side again. Tilly speeds up. But Harper speeds up too. Tilly tries veering off course instead, weaving around a couple dressed as bananas.
‘Hey, watch out!’
The running bananas grab hold of each other to steady themselves.
‘Sorry!’ She heads for the opposite side of the path but Harper is right behind her, sprinting to keep up.
‘Tilly, stop,’ pants Harper. ‘This is ridiculous! We haven’t even gone five hundred metres and we’re already out of breath. We can’t keep this up!’
‘Then stop chasing me!’
‘Stop running away! I know you’re hurting, but my wedding is only a month away and I still don’t even know if you’recoming! You said you wanted space and I’ve given you space. But we’ve got to talk about this.’
Tilly feels momentarily guilty but then remembers the beach photograph on her fake dating profile, Joe cropped out of the picture. She attempts to run faster again but a stitch jabs at her side.
‘Fine, we can run together. But please, can we not do this here? I just want to focus on the race. This is important to me.’
‘OK, but we’re going to talk properly once we’ve finished this.’
