The World's Greatest Athlete.(Kevin Hughes) Most people know me. After all, I am the two time Olympic Champion in both the Five K, and the 10 K races. I am also the current World Record Holder in both distances.
What people don’t know, is I am not the Greatest Athlete in the World at my Sport. Not even close. I know who is though. He shall remain nameless, because that is what he wishes. But his story needs to be told. So I will tell it. None of the names in this story are real, just the events.

“I so wish I had someone I could train with. Competition helps.”

I sighed. The only people who could challenge me, all lived in different countries. Like me, they were on, or wanted to make their Countries Olympic Team, and couldn’t spare the time to train with someone who wanted to beat them in a race, or at the Olympics.

My sister Anna listened to me with a small smile on her face. That smile gave it away. She knew somebody. She had to.

“Why the smile, Sis?”

She laughed.

“Well, big brother, my friend Eugenia has a Cousin visiting her who can run like a deer…she says.”

My ears perked up. Eugenia knew I was an elite Runner. My sister Anna was my biggest supporter. In fact, I was living with her and her Hubby Stan while I trained. It saved me both money and time. Amateurs weren’t paid well in my Day. Actually they weren’t paid at all. Not in my Country. The amount of training I had to do left me with little time to work. So Sis and Stan were lifesavers for me.

“Do tell? Is he a very fast deer?”

“Well, Eugenia has seen you run. She is so proud of you- and brags to everyone that she used to chase you when we were kids."

“That’s true but she was just playing.”

My sister smiled again.

“Oh, she is still chasing you. You just are too focused to notice. She’ll catch you someday when you stop running.”

I laughed. I didn’t have time for a Social Life. I liked being alone on my long runs. But I had to admit, if I look back at my life, most of my good times with people were when my Sister and her friend Eugenia were around. Hmm? I might have to think about that a bit more, but not until the Olympics are over.

“So when can I meet this guy who runs like a deer?”

“I can call Eugenia right now.”

“Please? I will even make my cookies for you.”

My Sister loved my chocolate and almond cookies. I learned to make them from my great Aunt Genevieve. I was always her favorite. She could bake anything. I learned a lot from her. I always thought I would grow up to be a Baker. But then I started winning at Cross Country and Track. So maybe in the Future. (NOTE: I do still bake at home, but my Fame allowed me a different path to wealth.)

“Deal.”

And then, he was there. He didn’t look like a runner. Most good runners, let alone elite runners, have long inseams, and wide chests. My own inseam was 41 inches, and I had a 45 inch chest on my six foot frame. My Mom used to say I was all legs with a bellows and head attached.

This guy was not small. He looked like one of those American Football Tight Ends. Six foot five or six. Probably close to 280 pounds. Wide shoulders, giant arms, and a waist that looked like it came from a picture of those “wasp waists” that were so popular in the Victorian Age.

He was shy, but confident. He spoke first.

“Hi, my name is Alexander. Eugenia says you need a running partner?”

“ I do. I am training for the distance runs in the Olympics. Can you run ten thousand meters in under thirty minutes? I need to move at least that fast to get better.”

He shrugged his massive shoulders. His face concentrated in thought.

“I don’t know. I have never timed myself. That doesn’t interest me. But I do like to run, especially on these mountains (throwing out an incredibly long arm to encompass the Valley walls).

Then he pointed up the Valley to a Church up on the side of the Mountain.

“How far is that? Is that a distance you could work with?”

My eyes could measure out distances like I was some kind of Math savant. If I said that was a mile away…it was. I looked up and judged the distance.

“That’s about five and half to six miles away. That would be a good run, with a steep rise too. Yes, that would be perfect.”

Alexander smiled and turned to face the Church.

“Okay, then let’s go!”

With that... he was off.

Surprised, I had to sprint to catch up to him. I did. He didn’t slow down. He just kept pumping his legs in long slow strides eating up meter after meter with ease.

I got into a rhythm too. Soon we were gliding up that hill at a pace that few could match. It was Magical. My feet seem to just gently caress the ground leaving most of the leaves on the path undisturbed. Along side me, Alexander was smiling broadly…thrilled to be running.

One mile. Two miles, Three miles. I couldn’t believe it, Alexander was increasing the pace. Miles were flying by in less than four minutes and thirty seconds. I forced myself to relax and just simply match pace with Alexander.

Nothing that big should be that fast, and nothing that fast should be that big. He looked like one of those Greek God Marble statues racing through the woods. I stayed right along side. I wasn’t training …I was racing.

I picked up the pace. He matched it with ease. I picked it up again. Again he matched it. I hit my Flow. Something I only did in a few Races and never before in Training. I was one with my body- and the world around me. We were running this last mile at very close to a four minute mile. My mind was awed by the extreme pace, even as my body seemed to just float alongside Alexander’s strong stride.

With half a mile to go, Alexander picked up the pace yet again. Pulling me, my frame of mind, and my body along with him.

One part of my brain was filled with joy. This was pure running. I was free like an animal to just run. Another part of me was stuck in disbelief. I knew we were running a sub four minute last mile. My interior clock told me we were running around a 3:50 Pace for this last mile…uphill!

“Impossible!”
Shouted my logical brain.
“Shut up and run, this is fun!”
Said my Running Brain.

And then we were there- at the Church. Neither of us were panting, nor were we bent over gasping for air…we just slowed down gently …and stopped.

I looked at my watch. I looked again. The Numbers didn’t change. We had just run a 10 K, in 26 Minutes and 26 seconds. Breaking the old World Record by two minutes. We had just run an average of a mile every four minutes and 13 seconds.

Alexander broke my stunned examination of my watch.

“Want to run back? I can go faster if you need me to?”

I nodded.

I won the Olympics that year. Set two World Records. Four years later, I did it again. Then I retired with accolades from all over the world. I was on the Cover of almost every Sports Magazine in the world.
They called me : “The Flying Finn.”

My records would stand for a long time. So they said. My last 10,000 meter was an incredible 23 minutes 12 seconds. The first and only time a Human Being had run every mile in under four minutes. And my last mile would beat the current record for a stand alone mile…by a mile. LOL

They said my records would never be broken.

I laughed inside my head.

I saw them broken every day in Training. By the World’s Greatest Athlete.

Alexander.

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