Today was the day the national team qualifier was being held to participate in the Olympic Marathon.
As the year 2019 passed, the popularity of the marathon had grown considerably.
The figure standing at the center of it all was none other than the young man at the very front of the starting line.
Swish. The man leisurely warming up was named I Han.
Having begun turning heads at the age of twenty-three, I Han, now twenty-five, was already being touted as an Olympic gold medalist.
["Now, we are about to start."]
With such anticipation, the national team qualifier was being broadcast live on TV.
["What do you think?"]
["I imagine Runner I Han, riding a surge of momentum, will take the win."]
["But the other runners can't be ignored, can they?"]
["Of course not."]
["Yes. Runner I Han's numbers are quite astonishing."]
["Numbers?"]
["First, what is absolutely necessary to run fast for a long time is VO₂ max and lactate threshold."]
["Ah, I've heard of that."]
["VO₂ max and lactate threshold cannot be separated from one another. Because they constantly affect each other."]
The caster's eyes sparkled.
["Hoo, fascinating."]
["Yes. Only when both figures are high can the underlying qualities needed to become an outstanding marathon runner be said to be in place."]
["Then what are Runner I Han's numbers?"]
["Ah, let's save that story for next time. The runners are off now!"]
I Han was currently in the lead group.
"Huff, hoo."
But he wasn't standing at the very front.
He placed one runner ahead and used him as a shield against the wind.
'If only it goes on like this.'
I Han dashed along the flat ground without strain.
Gradually, the distance from the second-place group widened, and before he knew it, he had passed the 10 km mark.
'The first hurdle.'
Far off, the [Upside-Down Road] was visible.
To the naked eye, it didn't feel like an incline.
It was an effect caused by an optical illusion, but the impact it exerted was tremendous.
'Because the body reacts first.'
Before he knew it, he seemed to have entered the [Upside-Down Road].
Judging by his body's movement and the minute trembling of his muscles, this place was indeed an incline, albeit slight.
But to the eyes, it was clearly a flat, straight line, so his brain was thrown into confusion. 'This is an incline. This is an incline.' I Han slowed his pace slightly. 'Slow the pace.' However, the other runners maintained the same pace as on flat ground. Of course, to them that probably counted as slowing down somewhat, but to I Han, even that was too fast.
Pow. Then, one inexperienced runner suddenly spurted ahead.
"Hup!"
Some of the runners chased after him in surprise.
"Hm."
There were also runners who didn't chase the one who had spurted ahead. It was a cool-headed judgment, but as time passed, they made anxious expressions at the widening gap.
"The gap keeps widening?"
"Nothing we can do. We chase."
"Okay. I'll be the windbreak, so follow me."
"Alright."
The five hesitant runners chased after the four ahead.
"......."
I Han watched that sight from quite a distance behind. "Huff, hoo."
This pace was enough. At his current speed, it was by no means slow. It was they who were overdoing it. No matter how much it looked like flat ground, this was indisputably an incline. If one overdid it here, one's speed would drop significantly in the middle and latter half.
'Believe in myself.'
I Han trusted his own judgment.
The caster asked.
["What do you think?"]
["Runner I Han's judgment is excellent."]
At the commentator's words, the caster spoke, mixing in a hint of doubt.
["Why is that?"]
["The Upside-Down Road is a gentle incline spanning 10 km. We are currently at the point of having passed 5 km. Let's examine the runner currently in the lead."]
["Do you mean Runner I Jongseok?"]
["Yes. In Runner I Jongseok's case, he ran an incline with a gradient similar to the Upside-Down Road a month ago. At that time, his record for 5 km was 17 minutes 35 seconds."]
["That's not a bad record."]
["Yes. And yet, his current record for 5 km on the Upside-Down Road is a staggering 14 minutes 55 seconds."]
["Huh, why is there such a difference?"]
["The optical illusion is causing confusion in pace control. To the eye it is a straight line, so it is perceived as a straight line. Of course, the muscles being used will change, but that change is so minute that it is difficult to notice. Even if one does notice, even if one believes they are lowering their pace, in reality their pace has actually risen or stayed the same in most cases."]
The two naturally exchanged words.
The listeners nodded as if the explanation was easy to understand.
["Ahh. So that's why this Upside-Down Road is called the first gate of death."]
["That's right. The runner responding exceptionally well to such a first gate of death is Runner I Han, who has just passed the 5 km point of the Upside-Down Road in 16 minutes 15 seconds."]
["How do you predict the situation ahead will change?"]
["After the 10 km point ends, the next 10 km is flat ground."]
["That's right."]
["At that point, the runners will increase their speed."]
["Their speed?"]
["Yes. Since the runners think they slowed their pace upon entering the incline, when flat ground appears, they will naturally begin to raise their pace."]
["You mean......."]
["That's right. They will overpace."]
["As time passes, the nine runners in the lead group will tire quickly."]
["Yes. From then on, the gap between them and Runner I Han will narrow."]
The caster and commentator continued their conversation. Quite some time passed.
["Ah, the moment you speak of it, Runner I Han is already passing the Upside-Down Road's 10 km point!"]
I Han checked the sign.
'9 kilometers.'
Only 1 kilometer remained now. Honestly, he felt it was too slow, but soon shook his head.
'Because this is an incline.'
He had to keep that fact firmly in mind. The moment he forgot this was an incline, he would lose his pace. That was the terrifying aspect of the [Upside-Down Road].
Pow. The thigh muscles of I Han, kicking the ground, writhed as if alive.
It was like waves rolling, and that movement stole away one's vision.
The movements of the minute muscles were as natural as a dance, and the energy thus obtained became strength, propelling I Han forward.
It was almost over.
He only had to endure a little more.
I Han wiped away the sweat flowing down his forehead and threatening to enter his eyes with the back of his hand, biting his molars.
This was a battle. Not against anyone else, but against himself.
A contest of endurance.
Hooo. In an instant, the wind blew.
Ah.......
It gently enveloped I Han's body.
Like the warm smile of someone laughing silently, the wind made his heart flutter.
Pat. At the same time, the muscles in his body trembled slightly.
'It changed.' Through that change, he knew.
The fact that the [Upside-Down Road] had ended.
'Increase speed.'
I Han's eyes sank coldly. Simultaneously, the muscles throughout his body activated.
Pow. His speed rose.
Naturally, the influence of the wind blowing from the front grew as well.
The wind that had gently brushed his entire body had now become an enemy and began attacking I Han.
"Huff, hoo."
He had trained to respond to this wind.
He had trained to break through the oncoming enemy.
I Han didn't avoid the wind rushing fiercely as if to blow him back, but collided with it head-on.
It was a wind stronger than a wild beast to ordinary people, but to a marathon runner who had run countless miles, it was a lighter attack than expected.
'Still weak.'
42.195 km is long.
Running that long distance, one would encounter winds changing like madness.
This was merely the beginning of that attack.
Using boxing as an example, it was like a jab thrown to gauge the opponent.
Pow. He raised his speed a bit more.
'A little more.......'
Still insufficient, he raised it a bit more.
And at the same time, he didn't reject the approaching wind but accepted it.
Perhaps because of that, the wind that had been only aggressive grew gentle.
Hooo. Before he knew it, I Han was riding the wind.
The one leading the pack in the lead group was An Onho.
He was quite close to I Han, but was always being compared to him.
'Right now, I'm in first place!'
An Onho laughed eerily as he kicked the ground.
Twitch. But the movement of his muscles was strange.
They shook violently, as if about to seize up.
But An Onho paid it no mind.
'I can do more, more!'
He had only just passed the 25 km mark.
If he stopped or slowed here, any chance of winning would disappear.
To shake off those persistently following behind, he had to overdo it.
"Huff, hoo."
An Onho, who had been running fast, slowed his speed.
'Heh, they must be relieved.'
The runners following behind also slowed.
And just when they thought to rest a bit, An Onho raised his speed again.
Pow.
The expressions of those behind twisted.
"Keuk!"
It was an obvious overpace.
They looked at each other, but even knowing that fact, they couldn't slow down.
Because the thought that if they fell behind here they couldn't catch up dominated their minds.
Here, everyone was a competitor.
That fact came as pressure.
"Haa, haa......."
In the meantime, they had reached the 30 km point before they knew it, and the postures of the lead group runners began to crumble.
Hooo.
At the same time, the wind began to blow.
"Keuk!"
The moment they stepped onto the point where the coastline began, the wind that had been invisible was felt distinctly.
It dug into the skin as sharply as a blade.
The runners ahead all received the wind's attack.
Because of it, their bodies couldn't move forward properly.
It was a place that wouldn't be a big problem if their stamina were intact.
But because they had overexerted themselves, their bodies wouldn't listen.
"Too......."
Wind covered wind, and upon that wind another wind rose.
And yet more wind rushed in, pushing the runners back.
"Da-damn it!"
"Block the front!"
Someone shouted loudly.
"Right side!"
The wind blew from the right.
The runners leaned their bodies toward where the wind blew.
They reached an angle where falling wouldn't be strange, but they didn't fall.
Because the wind blew and supported their bodies.
"Quick, we have to get out quickly!"
The runners strained with all their might.
But the more they did so, the more the wind obstructed them.
They ran gritting their molars, but their speed was miserable.
With the depletion of stamina from overpacing, combined with the obstruction of the fierce wind, simply moving forward became a cause for gratitude.
"Ugh, uuugh!"
The situation was so bad that moving a single step required all one's strength.
But no one gave up.
If they could escape this place, they could maintain the lead.
Then the hope of victory would arrive before their eyes.
Victory, and Olympic qualification.
That fruit, reachable just by stretching out a hand, was before their eyes.
It was a life of fierce competition where neither giving up nor sitting down was permitted, and so they had no choice but to fight.
Pow.
But no matter how bitter the trial, it is bound to end someday.
"Not much left!"
Those words from someone became strength.
"Only 1 km left now!"
Relief bloomed on the runners' faces.
The wind was still fierce, but it would end soon.
With that resolve, they stretched their trembling, shivering legs forward.
Swish.
Then, a man quickly passed by from the side.
"Ah......."
It was I Han.
---------------------------= Author's Afterword ---------------------------=
This is a work written up to the conclusion of Part 1. Please enjoy.