The Pacer with the Flag

Keanu had run eleven half marathons, but this was his first as an official pacer. His job was simple but demanding. He had to finish in exactly two hours and keep a group of runners with him. On his back, he carried a small flag with "2:00" printed on it.

Keanu sudah menjalani sebelas lomba half marathon, tetapi ini yang pertama baginya sebagai pacer resmi. Tugasnya sederhana tetapi berat. Ia harus finis tepat dalam dua jam dan menjaga sekelompok pelari tetap bersamanya. Di punggungnya, ia membawa bendera kecil bertuliskan "2:00".

At the start line, about twenty people gathered around him. Some looked nervous, some made jokes, and one man in a grey shirt said very little.

Di garis start, sekitar dua puluh orang berkumpul di sekelilingnya. Ada yang tampak gugup, ada yang bercanda, dan seorang pria berkaus abu-abu hampir tidak bicara.

For the first ten kilometers, everything went well. Keanu checked his watch every few minutes and kept a steady pace. The group ran close behind the flag, like ducklings behind their mother.

Selama sepuluh kilometer pertama, semuanya berjalan lancar. Keanu memeriksa jamnya setiap beberapa menit dan menjaga kecepatan yang stabil. Kelompok itu berlari rapat di belakang bendera, seperti anak-anak bebek di belakang induknya.

Around kilometer sixteen, the road began to climb. Keanu noticed that the man in the grey shirt had fallen to the edge of the group. His face was red, and his steps were short. The name on his number was Yannick.

Sekitar kilometer enam belas, jalan mulai menanjak. Keanu memperhatikan bahwa pria berkaus abu-abu itu telah tertinggal di tepi kelompok. Wajahnya merah, dan langkahnya pendek. Nama di nomor dadanya adalah Yannick.

"I can't do this," Yannick said between breaths. "You go ahead. I'm going to walk."

"Aku tidak sanggup," kata Yannick di sela napasnya. "Kamu duluan saja. Aku mau jalan kaki."

Keanu knew the rule: the pace could not change. If he slowed down, twenty people would lose their goal. But he also remembered how it felt to want to stop at kilometer sixteen.

Keanu tahu aturannya: kecepatan tidak boleh berubah. Kalau ia melambat, dua puluh orang akan kehilangan target mereka. Tetapi ia juga ingat bagaimana rasanya ingin berhenti di kilometer enam belas.

"Don't think about the finish," he said, moving to Yannick's side. "Think about the next marker. Only that one. Can you do that?"

"Jangan pikirkan garis finis," katanya sambil bergerak ke sisi Yannick. "Pikirkan penanda jarak berikutnya. Hanya yang itu. Bisa?"

Yannick nodded weakly.

Yannick mengangguk lemah.

They reached the marker. "Good," Keanu said. "Now the next one."

Mereka sampai di penanda itu. "Bagus," kata Keanu. "Sekarang yang berikutnya."

He talked the whole time, about the weather, about the terrible coffee at the start, about anything. His legs stayed steady, and the flag never slowed. Every time they passed a marker, he said the same thing: "One more."

Ia terus berbicara sepanjang waktu, tentang cuaca, tentang kopi yang buruk di garis start, tentang apa saja. Kakinya tetap stabil, dan bendera itu tidak pernah melambat. Setiap kali mereka melewati sebuah penanda, ia mengatakan hal yang sama: "Satu lagi."

At kilometer eighteen, Yannick wiped his face. "It's getting easier," he said.

Di kilometer delapan belas, Yannick menyeka wajahnya. "Sudah mulai lebih mudah," katanya.

"It isn't easier," Keanu said. "You're just stronger than you thought."

"Bukan lebih mudah," kata Keanu. "Kamu hanya lebih kuat daripada yang kamu kira."

With one kilometer left, the crowd grew louder, and the group began to speed up. Yannick stayed at his shoulder. Keanu checked his watch. They had no time to spare.

Dengan satu kilometer tersisa, sorak penonton makin keras, dan kelompok itu mulai mempercepat langkah. Yannick tetap di dekat bahunya. Keanu memeriksa jamnya. Mereka tidak punya waktu tersisa.

They crossed the line together. The clock above it showed 1:59:57.

Mereka melewati garis finis bersama. Jam di atasnya menunjukkan 1:59:57.

Yannick bent over with his hands on his knees. Then he stood up and grabbed Keanu's arm. "Three seconds," he said, laughing and almost crying. "I finished three seconds under two hours."

Yannick membungkuk dengan tangan di lutut. Lalu ia berdiri dan memegang lengan Keanu. "Tiga detik," katanya, tertawa dan hampir menangis. "Aku finis tiga detik lebih cepat dari dua jam."

"You did that," Keanu said. "I only carried the flag." He pulled the little flag from his belt and held it out. "Keep it. You earned it."

"Kamu yang melakukannya," kata Keanu. "Aku hanya membawa bendera." Ia menarik bendera kecil itu dari sabuknya dan mengulurkannya. "Simpanlah. Kamu pantas mendapatkannya."