Archive of Our Own

...

And, sometimes, the world

will still come to know your name,

long after you lose.

...

You will not be wreathed in the glory of victory, in laurels and gold and sports drink sponsorships.

You will not know the sweet taste of youthful fame, or the sweet sorrow that comes from looking back and realizing you'd taken your last step off the podium years ago, and hadn't known it then.

You will run and run and run forward with all your might, eyes cast ahead racing toward a never-promised dream, and it will stay out of your reach for all of your career.

But they will know you.

They will call out your name, and call upon you for fortune and safety, and they will cheer to the beat of your footsteps.

They will sing of you songs, and write of you books and films, and speak of your perseverance.

They will adorn themselves with your image, and maybe you've never won a race, but haven't you won the hearts of the people?

And when you retire to a quiet life, you will be a remembered, familiar face.

And you will be loved.

(And if you win your first victory on a gentle track, years after your retirement, there's got to be a little vindication in that.)

The grasses are fragrant this Spring.