The Pacer with the Flag
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 4 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
At kilometer sixteen of a half marathon, an official pacer helps a struggling runner without breaking his group's pace.
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Keanu had run eleven half marathons, but this was his first as an official pacer. His job was simple but demanding. He had to finish in exactly two hours and keep a group of runners with him. On his back, he carried a small flag with "2:00" printed on it.
At the start line, about twenty people gathered around him. Some looked nervous, some made jokes, and one man in a grey shirt said very little.
For the first ten kilometers, everything went well. Keanu checked his watch every few minutes and kept a steady pace. The group ran close behind the flag, like ducklings behind their mother.
Around kilometer sixteen, the road began to climb. Keanu noticed that the man in the grey shirt had fallen to the edge of the group. His face was red, and his steps were short. The name on his number was Yannick.
"I can't do this," Yannick said between breaths. "You go ahead. I'm going to walk."
Keanu knew the rule: the pace could not change. If he slowed down, twenty people would lose their goal. But he also remembered how it felt to want to stop at kilometer sixteen.
"Don't think about the finish," he said, moving to Yannick's side. "Think about the next marker. Only that one. Can you do that?"
Yannick nodded weakly.
They reached the marker. "Good," Keanu said. "Now the next one."
He talked the whole time, about the weather, about the terrible coffee at the start, about anything. His legs stayed steady, and the flag never slowed. Every time they passed a marker, he said the same thing: "One more."
At kilometer eighteen, Yannick wiped his face. "It's getting easier," he said.
"It isn't easier," Keanu said. "You're just stronger than you thought."
With one kilometer left, the crowd grew louder, and the group began to speed up. Yannick stayed at his shoulder. Keanu checked his watch. They had no time to spare.
They crossed the line together. The clock above it showed 1:59:57.
Yannick bent over with his hands on his knees. Then he stood up and grabbed Keanu's arm. "Three seconds," he said, laughing and almost crying. "I finished three seconds under two hours."
"You did that," Keanu said. "I only carried the flag." He pulled the little flag from his belt and held it out. "Keep it. You earned it."
