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For a few seconds, they run side by side. Then, as they approach the aid station, with a burst of sheer will, Jillian begins to pull ahead. Just then, a volunteer thrusts out a cup of water, trying to make it easier for Sunshine to grab it as she runs past. The unexpected motion, a blur in Sunshine's peripheral vision, shatters her concentration, and she swerves toward the center of the road. The toe of her sneaker snags a leg of the tripod. Stumbling, she sideswipes the surprised photographer, who staggers backwards. His arms flail wildly as his feet fly out from under him. He lands with a thud on the hard pavement and rolls to a stop. The tripod falls to the ground in a slow, graceful arc. The camera clatters to the blacktop. "Help me!" Sunshine screams. She spins awkwardly toward the side of the road, struggling to regain her balance as she stumbles headlong into a terrified volunteer. The two women crash awkwardly into a folding wooden table, which collapses under their weight. The human mass sprawls to the ground and crumples into a heap. Bananas and oranges fly though the air. Cups of water and PowerAde scatter in every direction. Jillian Kendal runs through the aid station, a paper cup in each hand. She empties a cup of water on her head. She downs a cup of PowerAde in two quick gulps. Then she flips both cups carelessly over her shoulders. She never looks back, not even once. After all, she has a race to run.
Next: Chapter 8 (Copley Square) [ Transition Home Page | Transition Blog ] Transition: The OnLine Triathlon Adventure Novel
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