Chapter 297 - 298: Showing Off
Professor Young signaled and pressed the stopwatch. "What are you all gawking at? Run!"
The group had yet to react, but Shawn Styles was the first one on the track.
Shawn Styles had been on the athletics team the longest, and his word was usually law.
He started running, so the rest of them naturally followed.
The remaining few who didn’t want to run, while not approving of Chloe Sinclair, weren’t troublemakers. They just fell in behind the team and started jogging slowly.
Sixteen kilometers would be an almost impossible feat for the average person, but for a group of athletes who had been training since the age of four, it wasn’t difficult.
Once they were halfway through, many of the runners’ breathing grew labored.
Shawn Styles and Julian Dawson were leading the pack.
A young woman was in third place.
Chloe Sinclair saw that Coach Young, who was standing beside her, had nearly shouted himself hoarse. She couldn’t help but say, "Coach Young, why don’t you sit down and rest? Have some water to soothe your throat."
Chloe Sinclair produced a packet of throat lozenges and a bottle of mineral water.
Coach Young’s shouting came to an abrupt halt. He stared at the items in Chloe’s hands, his eyes full of confusion.
He clearly didn’t understand her intentions.
However, since Chloe had spoken, he obliged.
Watching Chloe Sinclair’s calm and composed demeanor, Professor Young felt a flicker of admiration and curiosity.
When the athletes had three kilometers to go, Coach Young noticed Chloe Sinclair didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them. He couldn’t resist asking, "What’s the plan for when they finish?"
"Just wait," Chloe Sinclair mumbled, her mouth full as she quickly ate something.
Professor Young happened to glance down and saw the empty blister pack of throat lozenges on the ground. He froze.
Before he could process it, Chloe Sinclair suddenly shot to her feet, her eyes fixed on the runners now heading toward them.
And then...
"Why are you so slow? Pick up the pace!"
"Shawn Styles, keep your breathing steady! One breath every three steps!"
"Mandy Armstrong, you’re swinging your arm and leg on the same side!"
"It’s almost been forty minutes! A tortoise could move faster than you lot!"
...
In the end, when it came to chewing out the team, Chloe Sinclair was every bit as fierce as Professor Young.
Professor Young just stared blankly at Chloe Sinclair, his mouth agape.
Fifty minutes later, the last person completed the sixteen-kilometer run.
Some of the runners were pale. Chloe had arranged in advance for a large basin of glucose water to be prepared, and ten minutes later, she had everyone drink a cup.
Shawn Styles was still in decent shape, but he seemed a little dissatisfied.
He remembered his personal best was thirty-five minutes, nearly a record-breaking time.
He had achieved that time while running with Chloe Sinclair.
This time, however, running on his own, he was a full six minutes slower.
The athletes who often ran with Chloe Sinclair near her apartment building noticed the difference as well. ’She really can help us get faster,’ they thought, finally convinced.
However, quite a few others were annoyed.
Julian Dawson, in particular.
After finishing the sixteen-kilometer run, his stride had completely broken down near the end, and now he felt like he was going to throw up.
"Damn, is she nuts? Sixteen kilometers... Is she trying to run us into the ground?"
The athletics team’s training was intense, but they didn’t often do a straight sixteen-kilometer run.
Plus, he had no idea what had gotten into Shawn Styles today; the guy was running much faster than usual. Julian had to grit his teeth just to keep up, which was why his stamina gave out and his form crumbled at the end.
At least he had managed to hold on to second place.
Julian Dawson hadn’t spoken loudly, but no one else was talking at that moment. Everyone was resting after the run, their mouths filled with a metallic taste.