Writing Pieces

March 11, 2013

Marathons

Author's Note: As a par t of my ninth grade curriculum I am required to write a research paper.  It took me a while to find a topic that I was actually fond of learning about, but I came to the conclusion that I could do a paper on marathons.  It is something that I am definitely interested in and that I can connect to, yet at the same time, I do not know much of anything about it. 

Throughout the year, thousands of people line up at one, possibly multiple, of hundreds of start lines for a grueling 26.2 mile run -- the marathon.  Overtime, marathons have become more and more popular for both men and women.  Some people's lives consist of preparing and competing for marathons, while others may run for recreation or a cause. 

Hundreds of years ago, in 490 B.C., a soldier named Pheidippides was sent from Marathon, Greece to Athens to announce their victory over the Persians during the Battle of Marathon.  According to the legend, the soldier ran nearly 25 miles without stopping, exclaimed their victory, and then collapsed to his death at their feet.  Although the legend is questioned to be true, it marked the beginning of marathons and commemorates Pheidippides' legendary run. 

In 1896, the first marathon was included in the Athens Olympics to (recall) the "ancient glory of Greece".  Twenty-five male competitors entered in the 25 mile marathon similar to Pheidippides', but only seventeen men started the race and eight of them finished.  Spyridon Louis of Greece finished in first place with a time of 2:58:50.  He was followed by Kharilaos Vasilakos of Greece, Spyridon Belokas of Greece, and Gyula Kellner of Hungary approximately seven minutes later.  Spyridon Belokas was disqualified from his third place spot because he was accused for completing a part of the marathon by carriage.  

The 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics introduced the women's marathon and Joan Benoit won the run when she crossed the line at 2:24:52.  Although the 1984 Olympic marathon was the first to officially allow women, a few female runners had run in marathons before.  Marie-Louise Ledru is recognized for being the first woman to officially run in a marathon.  Violet Piercy is recognized for being the first woman to be officially timed in a marathon.  Kathrine Switzer is best known for challenging the all-male regulations in marathons by entering in the Boston Marathon as K.V. Switzer and running as a registered number in the race.  She was disqualified due to her false entry. 

Over the course of marathon history, the courses' distances have changed due to the location of the race and to satisfy the needs of some.  The first official marathon, in 1896, was 24.85 miles long.  The distances fluctuated about a mile more or less.  As a result, in 1921, the official distance was set at 26.22 miles -- the distance of the 1908 London Summer Olympic marathon. 

Currently, there are over 500 marathons held worldwide each year.  Some of the most popular marathons, such as the London or Berlin marathons, have tens of thousands of competitors entered in the race to win $500,000.  Less popular and unusual marathons have also been created such as the Great Wall Marathon, where competitors run along the Great Wall of China, and the Great Tibetan Marathon which is held at an altitude of 11,500 feet.  In addition, wheelchair marathons were created in 1974 and the current record holder, Ernst van Dyk, won with the time of 1:18:27.

Marathons have evolved since the first and each year more and more competitors join the great race of endurance.  

Bibliography

"A Brief History of the Marathon - TIME."Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1933342,00.html>.

"History of the Original Classic Marathon."Athens Marathon - Run the Original Classic Course. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.athensmarathon.com/marathon/history.php>.

"Marathon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon>.

"MarathonGuide.com - Marathons, Running Directory and Community."MarathonGuide.com - Marathons, Running Directory and Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.marathonguide.com/>.

December 14, 2012

Jeremiah 29:11

Author's Note: I'm attempting to get my writing frequency back up because I have been lacking on writing quite a bit. Often I am reminded of a dream, more like a nightmare, that I had in which I thought I could turn into a writing piece. Reading Fahrenheit 451 also reminded me of it because of the ashes and despair.  There isn't an actual message or point to get across.  I wrote this to vent a little bit and emote about the experience.  

Time.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, counting the seconds passed in our lifetimes. In silent rooms, where only the sound of the hand passing second after second are heard and wasted. Days of our short and fragile lives are thrown away without realizing that thousands lose their lives altogether within seconds.

Walking into our first days of school may be the most intimidating seconds of our lives. New students, new teachers, but the friends we've always had. I remember my first day; I walked in late and sat down next to a new student. That day I would have never known that she would become my best friend, my sister. Now that I reflect upon it, she never left my side from skits to mud-pits. Our memories captured in pictures or simply in our heads. That year I was blessed with my best friend and the joy we shared.

Years passed by quicker than ever. Each second with her was lived to the fullest so if a dollar was given to us for each memory made, we could travel to all of the places we've dreamed of going to. Time seemed to go by so quickly in which years were days, days were hours, and hours were minutes. A few days apart felt like eternity and those were the days when I realized time with her was delicate.

It took one day and I was 2,000 miles away. It took one day and our lives were changed. It took one day and we were apart.

That night I fell asleep pondering how I would survive away from my sister. My eyes closed and I drifted into sleep. Early the next morning, I was startled awake by the vibration of my phone. When I answered, a mass of mumbled words and sounds of tears filled my ears. I was barely able to process, let alone understand, a word they said. Silence.

My eyes blurred up with tears, my head ached and pounded, and my heart felt as if a hole had been punched through it. I didn't have words to describe how I felt. It was unimaginable, unthinkable, and unspeakable; all I could say was she's gone.

Days passed of pure depression and I shed enough tears to create another sea. After I collected myself, I decided I would show my puffy-eyed, washed-out face to my family again because I know when the world comes and goes they will always be here. I walked down to the kitchen table and found them surrounded around something as they waited for my arrival. They stepped out of the way.

A white ceramic jar covered in pink flowers had been placed on the table with a small note tied to it. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to be near it. I didn't want to believe it. Of all objects and memories I had left of her, I was frightened of the most innocent one: a life ended, yet to be experienced.

When I close my eyes our laughter and memories come back to life, but when I wake up in the middle of the night with tears caressing down my cheeks, I realize she's gone. She’s like a mirage; I swear I see her and then she vanishes. Every day, I’m choked-up with tears when I recall the slightest reminiscence.

Without my other half, I feel abandoned in the middle of an empty road with no direction to go. I feel drained of the color in my skin and the emotion in my eyes. I feel stripped of every aspect of myself. I have spent days in mourn, but now, as time passes, I need to move on. My life will continue on, but I won't forget the past because I've learned to cherish the time and the moments while they last.