CHAPTER 22
The screams of people around the race track were having a strong impact on the runners, it made Leonardo completely excited, he was drifting away into ordinary thoughts and thinking more and more about Marcelle.
In two months he managed to completely shape his legs, and the muscles were making a difference at that moment, and bringing even more energy to each step Leonardo took.
He still hadn't managed to see anyone he knew, but he ran a lot, he ran at his own pace, it was practically the first time he ran alone, without being next to anyone, without needing to run more than necessary to keep up, side by side, or falling behind.
Leonardo's legs were really long, and he was able to overtake some people without increasing his pace, he was able to keep up and breathe a sigh of relief.
He had already passed the four kilometer mark, and saw no sign of Marcelle or anyone else, but he had managed to overtake several people in the meantime, and he kept trying to overtake them even further.
The rain continued to fall, leaving the ground with an inexpressible beauty, the lights sparkled as if they were crystal, and the asphalt seemed increasingly softer, as if it ran over something more comfortable than the ground.
Leonardo's sneakers were heavier than usual, he could feel the difference, he always had extra sensitivity in his feet, he could even tell the difference in the place where he was running, whether he was shorter or taller, and now that was made it even more evident.
After the six kilometer mark, he saw Isabela, she was also running alone, she was trying hard to continue, but apparently, she had accelerated too soon, and now she was losing strength.
Isabela ran, with shorter steps, and trying to keep her breath, some people around the track just shouted towards Isabela, for her to stay steady and go to the end.
Leonardo smiled when he saw that scene, he got really excited, and took a few faster steps, and as soon as he passed Isabela, he gave her a little touch on the shoulder and smiled towards her, so that she could continue.
Isabela, upon seeing Leonardo, opened a smile, and continued to run, perhaps she was also looking for someone she knew, and at that moment Leonardo arrived, as he took long steps and ran to the end, soon leaving Isabela behind, but with one point more than breath and hope.
Now he had passed the eight-kilometer mark, and after a few more steps, he saw Fernanda, she was extremely exhausted, and was sweating a lot, she couldn't even keep a look straight ahead, he looked towards the sky and continued to run.
She was much more willing than she seemed, she was able to run a lot, despite being visibly tired, he couldn't stop, he continued running and didn't even see when Leonardo passed her, and he didn't want to take away her concentration either.
Leonardo had already run a good part of the race, his muscles were hot, and seemed to be very red in his mind, but he had not yet reached the limit, his plan was after the nine-kilometer mark, he would accelerate a lot and if maintain high speed until the end of the race.
He managed to keep breathing in and out at the same pace as he had been practicing, and he managed to do this more well-being, he thought about whether he could reach Marcelle, even with his heart weighing with doubt, he sped up, well. before the nine-kilometer mark, hoping to meet Marcelle in the final stretch of that race.
Now his body started to hurt even more, in different spots, along his belly, near his liver, in his ribs, it seemed like everything hurt, but he continued to run, and after a few hundred meters, the pain went away, but Leonardo's body felt numb and slow.
After passing the nine-kilometer mark, Leonardo's body was completely numb, he was running only on the strength of his spirit, and with the firm thought of finding Marcelle, without thinking anything negative about it, he just wanted to be able to find her at that special moment in his life.
And he continued to run, and he was dividing his energy into staying standing, and looking at the people around him, and Leonardo was overtaking some of them, they must have thought that he was really trying to win and be the best he could be, but Leonardo just thought about her.
He looked at different people, each one had a different tired expression, but he managed to overcome even that, he was completely worn out, and he ran in a much clumsier way than most of the race.
Now the rhythm he had practiced for so long was no longer of any use, he just took one step and then another, and waited survive until the final line of the race.
Leonardo could already see the end point of the race and ran without stopping until the end point, and with no sign of Marcelle in sight, he could run, and he was running, like a wild beast loose in the savannah, and tired.
His whole body felt weak and numb, he no longer felt the ground beneath his feet and everything tingled in his body, and his bones shook, he couldn't find Marcelle, but there was a big clock at the track marker, it said fifty-six minutes. This was the beginning of the test, and Leonardo managed to pass the test in less than an hour.
As soon as he passed the finish line, he had a vision that made his heart beat again, and he started to feel his whole body again, he saw Jonathan, far away from the race, hugging Marcelle.
They were talking something with enormous intimacy, and with their eyes fixed on each other's gaze, that was it, all of Leonardo's joy and tiredness fled from him, and his body twitched and his muscles contracted a lot, he just took it. the participation medal and left that place.
Without seeing anyone else, without speaking to anyone else, Leonardo left the race site while the shouts of support from people around the track tried to cheer up the participants who were still running on that unique day.
Leonardo was getting even further away from the test site, and he was thinking about different things, and his face was contorting, he was about to cry, but he held on tight, holding on as he walked tired and thinking about what he should do next.
He took a bus home, and watched a good part of the beachfront, the bus passed through Ipanema, Copacabana, and he saw those people living life in a happy and fun way, while he went through an experience that for him was like dive into a deep, dead-end well.
The rain had been very quick, a summer rain, and the sky was already clear and cloudless again, now he looked better at the colors of the sky, while trying to hold on to his thoughts, but the tiredness of his body was replaced by a feeling of inner emptiness, and nothing could support him in that.
The cell phone was still in his armband, he took it out, and saw that Fernanda had already called him once, he didn't know how to react to that, he just turned off the cell phone and walked away from everything while he thought about what to do next.