Zeynep's First Ten Kilometres

Zeynep had never been a keen runner. At school she was usually the last one to finish the lap around the football pitch. So everybody was surprised when she announced that she was going to run in a ten-kilometre fun run in Izmir. "What made you decide that?" her father asked. "My cousin did it last year, and she said it changed how she felt about herself," Zeynep replied. "Besides, if I don't try, I'll never know what I can do." For two months she trained three times a week, usually early in the morning before school. At first, she could only run for five minutes without stopping, and her legs ached. However, she kept going, and her father often ran beside her to keep her company. Gradually she got stronger. On the day of the run, the streets by the sea were full of people wearing bright T-shirts. Zeynep felt nervous at the start line. By the seventh kilometre she was exhausted, and she nearly stopped. Then she heard a stranger at the side of the road shouting, "Keep going, you're nearly there!" She crossed the finish line in just over an hour. It wasn't a fast time, but she didn't mind. She had finished, and that was all that mattered.