I'm Faster

I was watching some old home videos the other night. Really old. From 1981, I think. This particular clip was just about 40 seconds long and it captured the end of a road race that me and my brother were competing in. I spent the last few days trying to find a way to put this movie clip into my blog but I can't figure it out so I'll have to describe it. I'll try to post the film later.

The video starts with a police car coming towards the camera with its sirens going. About 100 feet behind the car are two skinny guys in really tight, short, polyester, yellow shorts and identical blue tanktops. I'm not sure why we usually dressed the same when we ran, but it's cute...trust me.

This race is important because although we ran several races every year and we usually did well in them, neither of us had ever actually won one. We had never run directly behind the police sirens. Never had been in the very front.

Anyway, in the video me and Rick are running stride for stride behind the sirens and one of us is going to finally win this race. The film is grainy and doesn't offer any proof that I struck a bargain with Rick, but I will testify and admit that I suggested we finish together. We were both exhausted and nobody was close to catching us and we were dressed the same and we were brothers and it would have been just very special to have us both cross together. So with about 500 hundred feet to go, I offered a tie and Rick accepted. We were just going to coast together to the finish line.

The video skips a section and the next scene shows both of us in a mad sprint to the finish...but we aren't together...I'm about 2 feet ahead of him. I finish first and Rick comes in second. The camera stays on us and Rick looks angry and he won't look at me. That's it. End of film. That's the incident that has been held over my head for 28 years. He's even paid me back and we should be even. The very next year in army basic training there was a contest called King of the Ring. Two hundred men stand in a large circle and the last man in the circle is the winner. No other rules. When there were about 30 of us left, I offered Rick another tie. And he agreed. But when we were down to the last 4, he threw his man out while I was still grappling with mine on the edge of the ring. Rick ran over and and pushed us both out. He was king. I say that should make us even.

But the race story kept getting repeated to friends and family (and it was on film), so I'm the one that can't be trusted in the heat of battle. So here's the point I hope you remember from this story. It's not that I used to be young and fast. It's not that athletic shorts used to be tight and polyester. I'm not even trying to make the point that your word is your bond or that a damaged reputation is hard to recover from.

The main point I'm trying to make and that I want you to remember is that...I won that race. Rick came in second.