The last Sports Day race is the eight hundred meters. Zane stands on the line with eleven other runners. The sun is bright. The grass smells of summer.
运动会的最后一项比赛是八百米。赞恩和另外十一名选手站在起跑线上。阳光明亮，草地散发着夏天的气味。
He is not fast. He knows this. In every race since he was nine, he comes last. His mother says it does not matter. His friends say it does not matter. He does not say anything.
他跑得不快，他自己知道。从九岁起，每一场比赛他都是最后一名。妈妈说没关系，朋友们说没关系。他什么也没说。
A teacher lifts her hand. "Ready," she says. Then a loud pop. The race begins.
一位老师举起手。“预备，”她说。接着是一声响亮的“砰”。比赛开始了。
The other runners go away like leaves in the wind. In ten seconds, Zane is alone at the back. He hears feet on the track. The sound grows small.
其他选手像风中的落叶一样跑远了。十秒钟后，赞恩独自落在最后。他听见跑道上的脚步声，那声音越来越小。
He keeps running. He breathes in. He breathes out. His shoes make a soft, steady beat on the track.
他继续跑。吸气，呼气。他的鞋子在跑道上发出轻柔而稳定的节拍。
On the first turn, he sees the crowd. Parents sit on the grass. Children shout names. A man holds up a sign. Nobody shouts "Zane." That is fine. He watches the crowd anyway. He feels like a man at a train window.
跑到第一个弯道时，他看见了人群。家长们坐在草地上，孩子们大声喊着名字。有个男人举着一块牌子。没有人喊“赞恩”。没关系。他还是看着人群，感觉自己像是火车窗边的旅人。
At the second turn, the leaders cross the line. The crowd gets loud. People jump up. A girl in a red shirt lifts her arms. Zane hears the shouting, far away, like the sea.
跑到第二个弯道时，领先的选手冲过了终点线。人群的声音变得很响。大家都跳了起来。一个穿红衬衫的女孩高举双臂。赞恩听见欢呼声，远远的，像大海的声音。
He is still running. His legs burn. His mouth is dry. He looks at the white line. He follows it.
他还在跑。双腿发烫，嘴里发干。他望着那条白线，沿着它向前跑。
By the third turn, the crowd looks away. People start to stand and talk. Some walk to the food table. A boy opens a bottle of juice. A baby laughs. The last runners cross the line, one by one. Each crossing makes less noise.
跑到第三个弯道时，人群已经把目光移开了。大家开始站起来聊天，有些人走向食物桌。一个男孩打开一瓶果汁，一个婴儿笑了起来。最后几名选手一个接一个地冲过终点线。每一次冲线，声音都更小一点。
Zane thinks: this is the quietest part of the race. He likes it more than he thought.
赞恩心想：这是整场比赛最安静的时刻。他比自己以为的更喜欢这一刻。
He hears his own breath. He hears a bird in the tree beside the track. He smells the grass again, and the warm dust. His legs do not hurt now. They only move.
他听见自己的呼吸声，听见跑道旁树上的鸟叫。他又闻到了青草的味道，还有温暖的尘土味。他的腿现在不疼了，只是在不停地向前迈。
He thinks about his grandfather. His grandfather says a long road teaches more. Zane never understood it before. Now it feels a little true.
他想起了爷爷。爷爷说，漫长的路教会人更多的东西。赞恩以前从来不明白。现在，他觉得这话有一点道理。
On the last straight line, he looks up. The finish line is far away. A few people stand near it. They talk to each other. Most of the field is empty.
跑到最后一段直道时，他抬起头。终点线还很远，只有几个人站在附近，互相聊着天。大半个场地都空了。
Then he sees someone. A girl stands at the line, very still. It is Chiara, from his class. She has a stopwatch around her neck. Everybody else has gone to the food table. She waits.
然后他看见了一个人。一个女孩站在终点线旁，一动不动。是他班上的基娅拉。她脖子上挂着一只秒表。其他人都去食物桌了，她还在等。
She sees him. She picks up the end of the white ribbon. The other helper let it fall long ago. Chiara holds it high with both hands, like a gate.
她看见了他。她拿起白色彩带的一端——另一位帮忙的人早就把它放下了。基娅拉用双手把彩带高高举起，像一道门。
"Come on, Zane," she calls. Her voice is not loud. It is clear.
“加油，赞恩，”她喊道。她的声音不大，却很清楚。
Zane's legs find a little more strength. He runs the last twenty meters with his head up. The ribbon is a white line against the blue sky.
赞恩的双腿又找回了一点力气。最后二十米，他昂着头跑完。彩带像一条白线，横在蓝天下。
He pushes through it with his chest. The ribbon stretches, then falls to the grass.
他用胸口撞过彩带。彩带被拉长，然后落到了草地上。
Chiara presses a button on her stopwatch. She looks at the numbers. Then she looks at him and smiles.
基娅拉按下秒表。她看了看数字，然后看着他，笑了。
"Your best time," she says.
“你的最好成绩，”她说。
