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THE STArTING LINEMile Zeo

QUINN: I still dont get why it was such a big deal. All kids

like to run. Go to any schoolyard. Youll see kids playing tag,

soccer, capture the ag . . . All those games involve running.

SYDNEY WATSON WALTERS: The difference is, most kids runfor 10 or 15 minutes. Not for 24 hours straight like you.

(Audience laughs)

QUINN: I still dont think I did anything special. My dad used

to say, if you want to run an ultra marathon, you have to be

ultra tough, ultra fast and ultra determined. But I dont thinkIm any of those things. Most of the time I was out there I just

felt scared, slow and stupid.

SYDNEY WATSON WALTERS: Take me back to the starting line.

That morning in July, before the race started. What was run-

ning through your head?

QUINN: I was thinking . . . I must be out of my mind.

I cant believe youe doing this, Kneecap said. Human

beings aent supposed to un a hunded miles. In a ca,

yes. On a bike, okay. But on two feet? Thats just stupid.

Stooooo-pid!

Kneecap is my best fiend in the wold. Which isnt saying

much, I guess, since shes my only fiend.

I mean, its totally whacked! she went on. running all

day and all night, though a foest full of wild animals. You

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head about the beas, ight? Someone spotted a big one on

the tail last night.Mom ovehead this. He foehead cumpled like a plas-

tic bag. She dug though he puse and handed me the phone.

Take it, she odeed.

No way, I said. Its too heavy.

Not an option, Mom said.

I staed at the phone. Mom bought it a decade ago, whenphones wee as big as toaste ovens. When she just kept

hanging on to it, Dad nicknamed it the Albatoss .

You do know Im unning a hunded miles, ight? I

said.

A little exta weight wont slow you down, said Mom.

A little? I said. That thing weighs moe than oufidge!

It was ten minutes befoe six, and the sun was stating to

come up. Fifty unnes wee milling up and down the dit

oad, holding Styofoam cups full of coffee and shiveing.

One woman otated he ams like pinwheels; anothe pulled

he ankle to he shoulde blade as if he leg wee a noodle.

If you want to un the ace, you have to take the phone.

Mom pessed the Albatoss into my hand and shot me he

death-ay stae.

I squeezed the phone into my fanny pack, and stuggled

to zip it shut.

Whees you bothe? Mom asked, glancing aound.

I looked down the oad. It was coveed with shadows.

Thee, said Kneecap.

In the half light, I could see Ollie standing at the edge

of a ditch.

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Hes getting his pyjamas wet, Mom sighed. Quinn,

would you go sh him out of there?I sloped down the road. A line-up of runners was stand-

ing beside a pair of portable toilets. A skinny lady in a base-

ball hat waved to me.

I caught up with Ollie. Whats going on? I asked.

He was standing beside a creek, staring down at a clump

of weeds. Theres a frog in there somewhere, he said.I stared at the ground.

Spring Peeper? I asked.

Nope. Leopard frog.

We went on staring but couldnt see anything moving

except a light breeze blowing through the grass.

When does the race start? Ollie asked.In ten minutes, I said, leaning over to stretch out my

hamstrings. A wedge of yellow light was creeping over the

foothills.

Too bad Daddy isnt here to see this, Ollie said.

A huge raven, the size of a golden retriever, soared over

the clearing. It screeched at us, a weird, lonely cry, and the

loneliness grabbed me by the throat. My eyes started to

burn, but I knew that I wouldnt cry. Not with Ollie there

beside me.

Youll be visiting the Shrine, right? Ollie asked. You

promised Daddy youd stop there, remember?

I nodded, and poked around inside my fanny pack. The

photograph was still there, stowed in one pocket. My salt

tablets and energy gels were in there too, plus the Albatross,

of course.

Dont forget your racing number, Ollie said.

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Oh ight, I said. I knelt down so he could pin the num-

be to my shit.Isnt thiteen bad luck? Ollie asked.

Not fo me it isnt, I said.

We nally got the number pinned on straight. Ollie

stepped back. Knock knock, he said.

Whos thee? I asked, olling my eyes.

Aadvak.Aadvak who?

Aadvak a hunded miles . . . fo one of you smiles!

A stupid joke. Hed head it fom my dad, the maste of

stupid knock-knock jokes. Dad had un this ace befoe, and

I knew he wished he could be unning it again.

The blaat of a bullhon shatteed the moning quiet:ALL rUNNErS TO THE STArTING LINE!

Electicity shot though my veins. Cmon, weve got to

go! I said. Ollie and I jogged back towad the stating co-

al. All I could think was: I am about to un 100 miles.

Mom saw us coming and cleaed a space in the cowd.

She took Ollies hand and bushed his bangs out of his eyes.

I thought we ageed youd stay dy, she said.

Ollie kicked the oad with the toe of his ubbe boot.

But I was looking fo fogs, he mumbled.

Kneecap appeaed out of nowhee and slung he am

aound his shoulde. Youe a fogaholic, Ollie.

Ollie giggled and pointed at my ace numbe. And

youe a jogaholic! he said.

I laughed at that. So did Mom. Kneecap punched me in

the shoulde had.

Ouch! I said. What was that fo?

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You laughed! she said. You actually laughed!

So what? I said. I laugh all the time.As if! said Kneecap. You used to laugh. Lately youve

been a total fun vampie, sucking the fun out of eveything.

I did?

The bullhon boomed. GOOOOD MOOOOOrNING,

ATHLETES!

The cowd of unnes spun aound. Buce, the ace di-ecto, was standing beside the gatehouse. He was dessed

in a plaid kilt and a black hoodie that said Shin-Kicke 100

acoss the font. His head was shaved and he had mutton-

chop sidebuns and a ainbow-coloued scaf was wapped

aound his thoat.

YOU rUNNErS ArE LOOKING STrONG! he bel-lowed.

The unnes cheeed. Buce aised a haiy am in the

ai, and then walked backwad acoss the oad, kicking a

line in the dit with the heel of his boot. This is you new

best fiend, he announced. Its the stating line and the n-

ish line. Two minutes fom now youll coss this line. And

in oughly twenty-fou hous, if youe lucky, youll coss it

again, only by then youll be a totally diffeent peson.

Kneecap punched me again. Youe eally doing this!

she said. Youe actually going to un a hunded miles!

I didnt answe. I was still thinking: fun vampie?

The themometes headed up to thity-thee degees,

Buce went on, so be sue to dink lots of liquids out thee.

Weve got emegency wate dops at miles nineteen and

fty-seven, just in case. If anyone gets heat stroke and ruins

my ace, I swea, Ill feed you to the beas myself.