Beach Race 300-word flash

Marin finds love by losing.

Beach Race

Marin lined up with the racers at the starting line . She eyed the competition, but they were all preparing, so none of them eyed her back,
“Runners, on your marks, get set, go!” shouted the starter and blew an airhorn.
Marin ran at a ground-eating lope, saving herself for a last push to the finish line. As usual, she had a plan . “Eyes ahead and monitor your pace and breathing”, she told herself again.

Things were going well. She was in the top five at one-mile. Runners four and three were forced to drop out due to muscle cramping. Marin kept her pace loose and long as she moved up to third. She was gaining on first place, when the man fell right in front of her, directly across her path. She was forced to stop, so she went quickly to his aid.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I stepped on a spiny shell . I’m bleeding badly.”

Marin crouched down and examined the sole of his foot. It was bleeding profusely and didn’t look like it was going to stop any time soon. She took off her bandanna and tied it tightly around his foot.
Then she helped him up, put his arm around her waist and helped him keep going. They made it to the finish together. Medics took over and Marin accepted water and sat drinking it near the first aid tent.

“I wonder how he's doing?”
When she saw him coming out on a stretcher, she ran over.
“How are you?”
“Apparently worse than I thought. Whatever I stepped on has poisoned my system!”
“Need a friend on the way to the hospital?”
“I’d like that!”
They were together through his recovery. Ryan proposed to Marin on the day he was declared recovered.