A Champion Today

Dedicated to everyone who finished the race, even if it took them 20 years.

David leaned forward a little, setting his paddle down in the front of his canoe. The river seemed longer today then he remembered, but then his memory of late had not been what it used to be. The sun beat down on his head and back as he stretched. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. David took in the sights around him and quickly noticed something was missing. He seemed to have the river to himself today which was unusual for a summer Saturday. In fact, with the exception of the occasional fishermen, the Au Sable seemed empty. David shook his head and leaned forward again to grab his paddle, but stopped abruptly and began to stare at his hands. Frowning slightly, he thought how much his hands had changed since the first time he had held a paddle. Yes, he was very different from the young spitfire who had fallen in love with the river the first time he saw a canoe split the water. Back then he wanted to know everything about it, how the river moved, where it ran fast and slow, it all seemed very interesting to him.

David smiled slightly remembering the countless afternoons he and his best friend had spent on the water perfecting an already flawless stroke, and the hours spent memorizing and mapping out the river, every turn, every cut, every method there was to cut a few minutes off their total time. These countless hours ultimately make little difference. David had never been able to finish the race, surprising considering his favorite childhood racing career. Nevertheless, each year something had gone wrong; equipment failure, injuries and weather kept David from finishing the marathon. David cleared his mind. Realizing his thoughts had wandered away, he once again focused on the task that lay before him. David was coming close to Mio dam. He remembered this point well; it had been the place he had to stop the last time he had raced. A storm had come up quickly the night of the marathon and David and his partner were forced to pull out just before the dam. David’s wife was waiting for them there. When David finally reached the dam, he found his wife with tears running down her cheeks. It was then David promised never to frighten her again. A promise he kept. He would not climb into a canoe for 20 years, until this morning when he finally decided it was time to run the marathon route one more time.

David dug his paddle into the water over and over, knowing that each pull would bring him closer to his goal, but he began to realize that age had caught up to him. David felt his joints ache and his arms burn, and he still had so far to go. David certainly had a fight ahead of him. Unlike his past marathon experiences he was running this race alone. David chuckled, remembering the last time he paddled by himself; it was his last year eligible for the juniors’ competition. David’s team was favored to win that year, but not long into the contest his partner became discouraged and cramped up. After David’s parents picked up his partner, David refused to leave the boat. He wanted to finish the race and wasn’t leaving until he had done it. In the end his will prevailed; he was even able to finish before some of the other teams.

David knew he was coming to the end of his journey. The sun began to set; the river was on fire. It was a sight no amount of money could purchase, reserved for those few people lucky enough to be born to the Au Sable. David had seen a great many sunsets on the river during his training days, but each one was different. He remembered one particular evening when he and a friend had gone to try out a canoe he had just finished making. David was sure this boat would be a champion, but soon into it’s maiden voyage David discovered his perfect racer had one small flaw. The boat must have fallen off the form somewhere, because no matter how he tried, he couldn’t make the canoe go straight. In fact the only motion the canoe would make was a circle. David laughed out loud. What a memory. He smiled with pride then, recalling how well some of his other canoe attempts had turned out.

David finally made it to the last dam. This was a part of the river that he had never paddled before; he had never made it this far in all the years he had been racing and he knew that Oscoda was only a short distance away. His muscles ached and even his thoughts could no longer cover the intense pain shooting through his arms and back. However, all the pain seemed worth it and David almost seemed young again. Perhaps, he thought, I have found my fountain of youth. Each stroke brought him closer and closer to success and as he rounded the last river bend he could just make out the bridge in Oscoda and under that . . . the finish line. There wasn’t a soul on the bridge, no one had come out to celebrate this moment, but still he heard the accumulation of 20 years cheering him on, urging him to sprint the last few feet. Silently, David’s canoe slipped under the bridge. He had made it! He was now one of them, the individuals who made the marathon worthwhile, not necessarily the person who came in first, but one of the people who refused to give up when the race seemed too long.

David pulled his canoe onto the shore and collapsed on the river bank. He dropped his head into his hands and wept. Still, hearing the silent cheers ringing in his ears, he smiled. If only his wife could see him now, she would be so proud, he finally made it. Today he was a champion.

Author's Note: I wrote this story in the third person instead of the first because it is not necessarily my story but the story of every person who has a dream…

RWOL

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