A feverish test of will

29

I was awakened very early that morning by Harrison upset and yelling out loudly in the hotel room. He was sick with a fever. I was nearly catatonic with fatigue. Mary did her best to quiet Harrison down, and got him into the shower while we discussed what to do. We had journeyed eight years and thousands of miles to get to this race. Were we going to just sit him out now?

When Harrison got out of the shower the fever was seemingly gone and he said he felt better. Above all he wanted to run. He put on his uniform while we packed up the room. We would not be coming back to the hotel after the meet, but the jury was still out on whether he should race.

We followed the team over to Apalachee Park to warm up for the meet. Harrison seemed “off” but was able to run. We decided to let him start. Blueberry also still appeared unwell and flushed in the face. They both lined up among the dozens of other teams on the starting line. Although Nate had suited up, it was decided that he shouldn’t run. I felt sad for him having to sit out the race while still wondering if Harrison should be running at all.

Darren, Mary and I watched as the CMC team was engulfed in the frenzied start, and then we sprinted across the grass and through wooded areas to watch and cheer on the runners. In a space of a few minutes we witnessed both Harrisons melting into the turf and sandy trails as with strained faces they feverishly fought their way through the strange swamp-like environment where moss and vines draped the trees. They both seemed to be slogging through the thick muggy air, and struggling to breathe.

They gutted it out and ran as best as they could rather than dropping. It was a let-down that was painful to watch. The only thing worse would have been to sit it out. Instead of Blueberry’s usual first position on the team he finished third. And rather than Harrison’s fourth position he went home with sixth. Ben was CMC’s top finisher that day and Korben had a tremendous race, finishing second among the Eagles, followed by Blueberry, Kenneth, Paulo and then Harrison.

As it turned out, both Harrisons had unknowingly run Nationals with COVID-19.

We left the race venue shortly after they finished, ate a quick lunch and then drove back to Pensacola to catch the flight home. Harrison slept in the front passenger seat most of the way. Blueberry was unusually talkative, rattling off an impressive memory bank of stats about runners, their times and placings in certain races.

We paid a visit to the beach before we boarded. This was the first time Harrison had experienced the ocean. He was weak but smiled as he felt the sand between his toes and walked out into the waves. He wore his running shorts and a heavy jacket, wading around in the salt water and smiling. There was a chill wind blowing and the water felt warmer than the air temperature.

He slept most of the plane ride and on the drive from DIA back to Westcliffe. We arrived home completely exhausted at 1:30 a.m.

The next day Harrison officially tested positive for COVID, and by that evening I was sick with it too. Somehow, Mary was the only person in our rental car to not catch it, and some other members of the team were sick the following week as well. Testing positive required a week isolation away from the college. I was not thrilled to be sick, but at the same time the forced rest days were a welcome relief.

Cross-country season was over. Harrison was able to work on English assignments from home and his welding absences were excused. I began eyeing the finish line for the semester. Following our quarantine there would be time off for Thanksgiving. With only a couple weeks left after the break it looked like a sprint to the tape, but there were still some obstacles lying in wait.

Notes from The Blur

The morning of the race I woke up with a fever before the alarm. I got in the shower and about an hour later the fever went away. I decided to run. I was thrilled to leave the hotel room and get to the race course because I really wanted to run in this race. When we got over to the Apalachee Park, I warmed up with the team and prepared for the run. The excitement was building and I briefly forget that I was actually sick.

The Division II teams ran first. Then we watched the Division I women’s 5K race. Lexi decided not to run due to her knee injury. With only four runners, our women’s team did not have the required five for a team score. Abby led the way, followed by Zoe, Brooklyn and Ana.

Finally it was time for the DI men’s race. There were close to 200 runners at the start line from all over the country. I had run races this big in high school but never in college. Oddly, It didn’t seem as loud as other meets I've been in, and I felt pretty calm.

The official fired warning gunshots every five minutes starting at 10:45 a.m., leading up to the race at 11 a.m. When the actual starting gun fired, I ran well at the start despite the large and crowded field. However, I started to lag in the middle of the race due to muscle aches. During this, teammates I regularly outran in previous races started to pass me. The effects of my illness, the heat and humidity were getting to me. My legs weren’t working right, causing me to get further and further off pace. The muscle aches continued to worsen until the finish.

The result was that I finished 6th on the men's team instead of my usual 4th. Fortunately, despite the illnesses and injuries, our men’s team did not place last in the meet.

As we got to lunch everybody on the team received a text from CMC saying that there was an active threat back at the Leadville Campus. I was disturbed by this and unsure what was going on. Soon we got another text saying it was a false alarm and there wasn’t really an active shooter. We later learned that a water pipe broke on the third floor causing the ceiling tiles to break and sending water all over the floors, flowing down the stairs of the residence hall, and even into student’s rooms. Because of this, all students there had to report to the cafeteria. Some were given hotel rooms until this madness was sorted.

After lunch we headed back to Pensacola and I slept in the car most of the way. At last, we arrived at the parking lot next to the beach. This was the first time I ever saw the ocean. It was a little chilly as I got out of the car. Of course being at sea level altitude, this was nothing compared to Leadville. The sand was white and felt soft under my feet. I walked into the water to soak my feet. The water was relatively warm. Blueberry swam out quite a ways in the ocean.

When we got to the airport, my coughing started to pick up. While I was waiting for our flight, I became mesmerized by the escalators near the gates. We finally boarded the plane. While waiting for take off I started another movie, but I quickly fell asleep for most of the flight. I also slept through most of the drive home .

The following day I tested positive for COVID-19. Obviously, I would've run better if I didn't have this illness, but it was just the reality I had to deal with. I did my best despite that. At least I had the opportunity to fly in an airplane, see the ocean, and run in another state.

I was disappointed that I got sick for the big race, but in perspective being involved in a cross-country and track team allows me to be part of something and build friendships. I found myself thankful to have this opportunity at CMC and appreciative of everyone’s patience with my quirkiness.

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