Sweat cascaded from my brow to my body as I raced with all my might. My crumpled clothes were entirely soaked during the long and arduous race. At last, it was almost over and I could almost taste the relief.

The rhythmic thumping of my swollen feet matched my exhausted breathing and my freshly motivated heart. My shoes scraped against the rough pavement as I took step after step. My dry throat reminded me of the hellish heat that I endured.

I was like 20-metres away from the end. I saw the runners, wearing brightly-coloured shirts soaked in sweat, who had already reached the finish line, were already sighing and crying in relief, rubbing their legs while groaning and drinking oceans of water, while I was still racing. I heard the crowd cheering me on as I struggled to reach the end. I had heavy breathing, my heart was palpitating.

Hundreds of bystanders on both sides of the road were packed together like sweaty sardines under the blazing heat. Some of the onlookers wore floppy hats to shield them from the fury of the sun. My knees were trembling, my hands were shaking, my sweat kept on pouring, my throat was a desert.

Others brought a rainbow of patterned umbrellas, some had fans with delicate butterflies or flowers on them. The others wore jackets in the blazing heat to not get sunburned.

The road to my bliss was littered with vividly reflective colours of the confetti that decorated the dry and dirty pavement. Wave after wave of the rainbow-like tiny pieces of paper were thrown into the air by the sea of onlookers. Shouts and screams filled the cloudless sky as they encouraged us to finish. The blue sky reminded me of a certain drink I would gladly accept as my reward for the race. I looked up to see a white streak from a plane, reminding me of the finish line, only to be beaten down by the blinding rays of the sun.

As I closed the distance to the line, a cool breeze blew from behind me as if God was pushing me ever so slightly to help me finish the race. The trees rustled and their branches swayed as their green leaves clung on, desperate not to be blown away. I even noticed a random yellow hat flying off to find a greater purpose despite my weary eyes.

I was moving in slow-motion like those scenes from movies.

Shade enveloped the end and as I saw I was like 5 metres away from the finish line. Relief washed over my aching body. My legs were about to give up but my heart reminded them that we were not done yet. I breathed heavily, step after step, until I crossed that finish line. My legs…I could feel them no more. The crowd’s cheers echoed in the air.