Twenty Floating Stars

 

Non-runners probably won’t believe this, but running can be very disorienting. It can make you dizzy and nauseated. Sometimes it’s all you can do to breathe in and out and keep your legs beneath you. Top that off with running in a strange country with signs in a foreign language, and you could easily become completely overwhelmed. That’s what happened to Kenyan runner Abel Mutai in December, 2012 in Navarre, Spain. Ten meters before the end of his 3,000-meter race, he pulled up short, thinking he’d won. Spaniard Iván Fernández Anaya – running behind him – realized what was happening and shouted at Abel to keep running. In Spanish. When the Kenyan didn’t respond, Iván pushed his opponent forward. Abel won, and Iván took second place. A reporter asked the Spaniard why he didn’t just take the lead, and he said, “He was the rightful winner. He created a gap I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake.”