"Dad, are you sure there will be lots of chocolate?" I ask. I'm lined up with Dad and Uncle John near the back of a crowd of 20, 000 runners in Los Angeles. My first marathon. Ifs pouring rain. My legs are cold, and I'm wishing I hadn't been too nervous to eat a bigger breakfast.
"Sullivan, there were tables of chocolate bars every mile at my last marathon, " Dad says.
Suddenly everyone around us starts moving. Way up ahead I see smoke, the signal of starting. And our marathon finally starts.
Soon Dad starts to slow down. "You go on ahead," Dad says. "I'll see you at the end." Uncle John and I speed away. Soon Dad is way behind.
We reach mile 5, and I'm feeling good. I still haven't seen a chocolate bar anywhere. Maybe they don't have them! Instead, the streets are lined with fast-food places.
By mile 8S my legs feel good but I'm starving.
Instead of one piece of bread for breakfast, I wish I'd eaten six pieces of bread, eggs, bacon…
It's raining so hard that it hurts.
On both sides of the streets are excited people, yelling and waving to us.
At mile 10 I take a power gel （能量胶）out of my pocket and try to open it, but my hands are so cold that they feel as if they're frozen.
Just past mile 13 is the halfway checkpoint. Up ahead I can see my aunt and my little brother cheering for us. Soon I can't hear my name anymore. Food at last! I take a banana and eat it.
Mile 15. There are tables full of power gels. I take one, tear it open, and put it in my mouth. Chocolate would taste better.
Every step hurts my legs. We've reached mile 20, and I don't want to run another inch. I tell Uncle John to go on ahead. I don't want to hold him up anymore.
I start walking. Older people run past me. I think, If they can do it, so can L
I start to run again when I reach mile 22. No one passes me, and I pass no one.
I wish I could give up, but I don't really want to. Dad told me, "You can do it, Sullivan." But where's Dad now? Miles behind me.
I start walking again, but another runner comes up beside me and says, "Don't give up." I start to run again. Mile 25. I can hear the crowd at the finish line. I turn a comer. Thousands of people line the street.
I'm running fast now, and the crowd is yelling just for me. When I cross that finish line, I feel like a winner. An hour later, Uncle John and I sit together, waiting for Dad.
I'm finally eating a chocolate bar. It's the best one I've ever tasted.
