Chapter 560: Brothers (Part Two)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the Kona Triathlon World Champions.h.i.+p, the last event was a long-distance run. The athletes needed to complete a 42km marathon-length race. This was after completing 3.8 km of open water swimming and 189 km of road cycling.
Even professional athletes with excellent physical fitness would be exhausted after completing the first two events. However, the world’s top triathletes were still able to run after 3.8 km of open water swimming and 189 km of road cycling.
Hansen Brown ran while eating an energy bar. He then took out an energy drink from a supply bag and put it in his mouth. He drank half of it and used the other half to rinse his mouth. He then spat it out.
Athletes did not want to feel bloated during compet.i.tions so they did not drink a lot of water. Half of the energy drink was enough to replenish the body’s water and electrolytes. Rinsing and spitting out the other half of the energy drink was to relieve the temperature of the mouth and relieve its fatigue. Cyclists, track and field athletes, and soccer players would often gargle with carbohydrate solutions during a game instead of drinking them.
Hansen was still in the lead. No one caught up from behind. He was like a lonely wolf king, running alone in the gra.s.slands.
Hansen enjoyed the feeling of being better than everyone else. He started to expect victory more and more.
But Hansen was gradually getting slower. He was getting closer and closer to the finish line but he was getting slower and slower.
…
Tell Brown was swinging his arms mechanically and running forwards.
The 3.8-kilometer open water swimming and the 198-kilometer road cycling had already used up much of his physical strength. He was now recovering while he ran. He would then use up the strength that he had recovered.
His rhythm had not changed and his speed had not changed. He was like a robot on an a.s.sembly line, relentlessly repeating the same motions.
It was not easy to do this at this stage of the race. Only Tell Brown, the ruler of the triathlon, was able to maintain his pace when faced with such exhaustion.
Finally, Tell saw a moving black spot on the horizon ahead.
It’s Hansen! Although he was far away, Tell was still able to recognize his younger brother.
I see Hansen. That means he is only two kilometers ahead of me! At this speed, I should be able to catch up with him! Tell thought.
If this were the Olympics, the last long-distance run would only be ten kilometers and Tell would not be able to catch up at this point. However, the athletes had to run a 42-kilometer marathon. A gap of two thousand meters within the context of 42 kilometers was only a short distance. Tell would be able to catch up to Hansen before long.
However, Tell did not change his running rhythm. He did not choose to risk speeding up in pursuit because he knew that he was going faster than his younger brother Hansen. As long as he kept his current rhythm, he could catch up to and even surpa.s.s Hansen.
…
Hansen had seen Tell behind him. Although Tell was still a far from him, Hansen could feel that Tell was gaining on him with every step.
He caught up! Hansen felt anxious. He wanted to speed up. He wanted to be faster, but his legs didn’t listen to him at all.
Hansen had already depleted his strength. It was difficult for him to maintain his current speed let alone speed up.
Am I going to lose to Tell again? No, I am not willing to let that happen! Hansen became ferocious. He clenched his teeth and wanted to exert his strength. However, his body had already reached its limit. At times like this, it was difficult to turn even the strongest willpower into physical strength.
Tell was gradually approaching from behind. Of course, he was not very fast. About 20 kilometers had already pa.s.sed from the time Hansen saw Tell. Tell was now about 100 meters away from Hansen.
Although Hansen still maintained a lead of more than 100 meters, the pressure of Tell being behind him became heavier and heavier.
Hansen’s gradually became slower and slower. He was now starting to feel that his legs were beginning to go numb and he was gradually losing consciousness. He felt that he had no control over his body. Every step forward was solely instinct.
Ten kilometers from the finis.h.i.+ng line, Hansen had greatly overexerted his physical strength. His body had already exceeded its limit. He could no longer maintain his original speed, he could only slow down.
Tell had also slowed down. After nearly eight hours of uninterrupted compet.i.tion, the average person would not even be able to stand. Tell, however, could still run. This kind of running did not appear to be strong and vigorous but, instead, it seemed to be a bit battered and exhausted.
Hansen looked back to look at Tell. He had gotten even closer.
Hansen became more anxious. The anxiety that Tell gave him was getting stronger and stronger. This pressure gave Hansen a feeling of suffocation. He felt that his will was on the verge of collapse.
Finally, Tell caught up with Hansen and they were neck in neck.
Then, Tell overtook Hansen and left him behind.
Hansen’s eyes flashed a glimpse of despair. In the past year, all his training was to defeat Tell. He saw the hope of victory in this race, but as he approached the end of the race, he was surpa.s.sed by Tell.
Hansen had tried his best, but his body had been overloaded for a long time. In his current state, once he was overtaken by Tell, it was impossible to regain his position.
I am still going to lose to him! Hansen felt determined, but he could no longer accelerate. He could only watch as Tell increased the distance between them. He was getting farther and farther away from him.
Unwillingness, loss, and anger all manifested in Hansen’s heart and they filled up his entire body. This did not help. He could only swallow in the pain to his stomach.
The sense of powerlessness came over him and Hansen suddenly felt something on his calf. He knew that it was a cramp in his calf.
After a long period of exercise, the body was always in an overloaded state. In cases where the body lacked electrolytes, having a cramp was something to be expected.
Hansen staggered and fell to the ground. He refused to accept the pain. He rubbed his toes, hoping to ease the pain caused by the cramp.
Exhaustion came over him. Hansen suddenly felt that it was really comfortable to stay on the ground. He didn’t even want to get up again.
I really want to sleep for a while… Hansen almost closed his eyes, but he saw Tell in the distance, getting farther and farther away from him.
I cannot give up!
The next second, Hansen climbed up in determination and ran forward.
However, after only two or three steps, he fell to the ground again. Then, a stinging sensation came from his ankle. Gradually, the tingling sensation became more and more intense and Hansen couldn’t help but open his mouth.
At this point, Hansen finally realized that it was not just a cramp in his calf. He had also sprained his ankle when he fell down. Because of the fatigue, the nerves in his legs were not as sensitive, so he simply didn’t notice it.
It’s over! Hansen expression showed that he was in pain. He didn’t know the extent of his injury, but he knew that in his current physical condition, after suffering an ankle injury, it might take a long time to stand up again.
…
Tell looked at the sign on the side of the road. He was three kilometers from the finish line. For him, the five kilometers were very much in his grasp.
“Come on! Tell!”
“Tell! You are the best!”
As the finish line approached, spectators started to appear on the side of the road. They began to cheer for the contestants. Tell even saw several of his compatriots waving the British flag and shouting in the crowds.
Tell suddenly felt a little excited. Even the sense of exhaustion disappeared.
Tell glanced towards his back, but he didn’t see Hansen.
I’ve left Hansen behind so quickly? That can’t be. At his speed, he would still be close.
Doubt filled Tell. He couldn’t help but turn his head and look back. He then saw that Hansen had fallen to the ground far away from him.
What happened to Hansen? Did he fall? He stared at Hansen for a few seconds, only to find that Hansen didn’t stand up.
Tell turned back towards his goal, then he turned back and looked at his brother Hansen.
Tell slowed down. Then, he stopped. He turned around and ran back.
…
Hansen tried to get up but, after several attempts, he did not succeed.
d.a.m.n! Hansen let out a long sigh. In such a situation, he could only withdraw from the compet.i.tion.
Someone came running from the front.
Is a doctor coming? Hansen thought. All of the contestants were running from the other direction. Only the staff responsible for logistical support would run in the opposite direction.
Hansen looked up and saw his brother Tell.
Tell trotted all the way up to Hansen.
“Why did you run back?” Hansen asked.
“You fell. Of course I had to come back.” Tell squatted down and asked, “Are you okay?”
“It should be a sprain. The bones are not damaged. I should still be able to walk,” Hansen replied.
“That’s good. Come on. Stand up!” Tell helped Hansen stood up from the ground.
“Let’s go,” Tell supported Hansen with his shoulder and the two walked forward together.
“I remember that, when we were younger, every time you fell you would always sit on the floor and cry. You wouldn’t get up by yourself. You would only get up after I went and helped you,” Tell said. He smiled a smile filled with nostalgia.
Hansen didn’t answer. He just looked at his brother with an unusual gaze. He was panting heavily, and he listened to Tell reminiscing about the past.
Just like that, the older brother helped the younger brother slowly walked towards the finish line.
…
Hansen looked at the signs on the side of the road. Only two kilometers until the finish line.
At this time, another contestant appeared behind them.
The third athlete had finally caught up.
Hansen knew that if he had not gotten injured and been forced to walk on this stretch of road, the person in third would not have been able to catch up.
He looked at his brother and said, “You go first. There are less than two kilometers to the finish line. If you start to run now, that person wouldn’t be able to catch up with you.”
“If I ran, what would you do?” Tell immediately asked in reply.
“You don’t need to care about me. I’m injured anyway. The person behind would’ve definitely surpa.s.sed me,” Hansen replied.
Tell shook his head. “In your current condition, you won’t even be able to finish the last two kilometers. If I leave, you would have to withdraw. You won’t even be in the rankings.”
“But if you do this, I will drag you down. The person behind will overtake both of us and you will lose first place,” Hansen said anxiously.
“What if I lose first place? You are my brother, I will not leave you alone,” Tell said, determined.
Hansen opened his mouth. He looked at his brother and saw the insistence in Tell’s eyes. He did not say anything.
…
There were only 500 meters left until the end. The contestant in third place overtook them.
Hansen looked at the man. He was already very slow. It was not much faster than walking. It could be said that his physical strength had been exhausted a long time ago.
“If you put me down right now, you would still have enough time to catch up to him. You’re better than him and you’re faster than him. You would easily be able to surpa.s.s him in the last five hundred meters,” Hansen said to Tell.
Tell shook his head again, “I’ve already said that you are my brother. I will not leave you alone. This was true in the past, it is true right now, and will still be true in the future.
“Do you really not want to win the World Champions.h.i.+p?” It was Hansen who was worried for Tell.
“No. The champions.h.i.+p is not more important than my brother.” Tell grinned and said, “Let’s go. It is the last five hundred meters. Let’s pa.s.s the finish line together.”
…
The person in first place reached the finish line.
For the last two hundred meters, Tell still supported Hansen and they marched forward with great difficulty.
“The man has already crossed the finish line,” Hansen turned to look at Tell and then asked, “Any regrets?”
“Why would I have any regrets?” Tell asked.
“You can no longer win first. Don’t you regret it?” Hansen asked.
“No regrets.” Tell continued, “If I abandoned you, that would be something that I would regret.”
Upon hearing this answer, Hansen was finally convinced that Tell did not care much about the World Champions.h.i.+p. In Tell’s heart, his younger brother was more important than the honor of being a champion.
Hansen couldn’t understand why he had spent the last year regarding Tell as his compet.i.tor. He had gradually alienated him. He had placed the honor of being champion over his relations.h.i.+p with his own brother.
Hansen finally realized that he had been wrong. Compared with the honor of being the champion, Tell, who was the person right in front of him, was the one he should cherish.
Hansen leaned in and whispered into Tell’s ear, “My brother, I’m sorry.”