River
Preparing for a foot race wasn't something a person could do overnight. River realized all those months of running and taking care of his body would contribute to his victory--if he should be lucky enough to win today. He had to hope that he could. If Blade won again today, he'd basically have the tournament in the bag.
Not only did River need to win, he needed Blade to come in toward the end of the pack. Otherwise, the next contest would be the deciding factor, and River didn't want to take the chance of knowing he had to win two contests in a row just to keep Blade from being proclaimed the winner.
Not that River didn't want to win both contests so he could win Ellie's hand. That was the ultimate prize. But putting some distance between himself and Blade would be ideal.
The wal
