Another Kind Of Winner

It was the tenth edition of the Cayo Seco triathlon, and everyone wanted the $10 million that would be awarded to the winner. The hype was so great that even my aunt Noeh, who was always asking food for delivery, signed up. Probably her biggest try of sportsmanship.

I didn't want to take part or be a spectator, but she was so insistent with the argument that it was her "amulet" for everything in life, that I had no choice but to go out under the melting Miami sun on a Sunday morning.

I believed that even if they gave her water from the Holy Grail on the way, the miracle my aunt was waiting for would not happen.

Amidst blue skies, a blazing sun and faint salty wind, the triathlon began. Most people were watching the competition on a giant screen thanks to a drone, while I preferred to use my binoculars.

Barely 15 minutes had passed since the start, when I could already see my poor aunt Noeh suffering, running among the last competitors.

"When that woman falls, there will be a crater in the road," commented one guy next to me to another with a chuckle.

At that moment, I almost lost my head and ran out to push my aunt until she was first. Oh boy! I never thought I'd have such an eventful Sunday.

The idiots stopped sneering for a moment, and one commented:

"That 10$ million is going to be between the Spring twins and Joshua Rud."

"Don't you think the experienced Michael Valentine will give a surprise?" asked the other.

"Falling behind the turtle in a bathing suit will be the only surprise he would give," the other wretch replied with a guffaw.

I was so outraged by these guys' comments about my aunt that I moved to another place to continue watching the race.

In the time that had elapsed, the leaders had already advanced to the cycling stage. They were two identical men pedaling almost in sync and another, who I assumed was this Joshua guy, just a few meters behind them.

My aunt, meanwhile, was able to get on a bike half an hour later. To tell the truth, I was already proud of her. I never thought she had that much stamina, other than when watching Netflix marathons.

From that point on, the interesting part began. My eyes were drawn away from the binoculars because people made a big "ooooh!" all of a sudden. When I turned to look at the giant screen, they were passing by as the Spring twins lay on the ground. Their bikes were broken and they, in pain, were barely moving.

Then we could all see on the replay how Joshua Rud, trying to overtake one of the twins, brushed his competitor's rear tire, knocking him off balance. Immediately after, he collided with his brother, and they both hit the pavement, their bikes falling apart in mid-air, as if they were lego pieces.

The spectators, including me, started booing. We wanted Rud's cheater disqualified. However, it didn't look to the organizers as if it had been done on purpose.

The situation became tense. The police arrived to try to keep order in the crowd, but people watched with indignation as Joshua Rud almost laughed after accomplishing his dirty deed.

By this time, I didn't even remember that my aunt was still giving it her all in a competition I thought she would end up fainting in.

Her desire to prove to herself that she could do it was so great that the unimaginable happened: she became a heroine.
The bike circuit had the shape of an 8. This meant that at some point the leaders would see the tailenders pass underneath them.

For some strange reason, my aunt got confused on the course, and started to ride against the hand.

After watching her for a few seconds, I realized that she was suffering so much to pedal that she didn't have the strength to watch where she was going to. Her spirit was simply one of never giving up, so much so that, ironically, she ran into the leader of the competition.

Rud saw my aunt only when she was about 10 meters away from him. The guy tried desperately to dodge her. It was an abrupt maneuver that at first we all thought had gone well. However, in trying not to crash, Rud lost control of his bike and went flying off one of the edges of the track.

Although the result was almost fatal for Rud, we all celebrated it as a victory. My aunt was being applauded non-stop, and I couldn't believe it.

I checked to see if she knew what had happened, but Noeh was still completely immersed in her competition against herself.

Finally, it was time for the swim in the beautiful waters surrounding the coast of Florida.

Even though many were not betting on him, Michael Valentine took the lead in the triathlon by putting on an incredible display in the sea. When I saw him through my binoculars, he looked like a shark. His "prey" was almost in his mouth with 1 km to go.

A quarter of an hour later, fireworks and Latin music started to play. Seasoned competitor Michael Valentine was crowned triathlon champion. That seemed even more impressive to me after beating cancer a year ago.

The media was praising and interviewing the first finishers, but people were waiting for my aunt! When the jury confirmed that Joshua Rud's maneuver was unsportsmanlike, we all supported my aunt by chanting her name over and over again.

That woman who woke up with the dawn, ended up defeating her old self full of excuses and problems, coming out of the water as if she was someone new. Her arrival at the finish line was accompanied by applause and then by many arms throwing her into the air like a champion.

"Vic, Vic! Doesn't this confirm that you really are my lucky charm?" my aunt asked me before motioning for me to join her and the Spring twins in the award photo, who, now physically better, also congratulated her.

---

---