Fountain Running

“Are you ready?” my friend asks, excitement written on her face.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, aware of the others watching me. For a moment I pause, thinking if I really want to plunge. I feel as if I’m about to back out, after all the wind isn’t favorable. My friend, noticing the uncertainty on my face makes the decision for me. She grabs my arm and starts running into the fountain spouting water. I resist her pull all the way, until she has won and I am drenched in ice cold water.

Oh the art of fountain running and all its joys. What is fountain running you ask? It is the mastered skill of running into a fountain. There are two types of fountain runs. There’s the fountain run that you plan ahead of time and dress for the occasion. Then there’s the second run. The one where you happen to be strolling by a beautiful fountain, and in the heat of the moment, you drop everything. You disregard the fact that you’re no wearing proper attire, and you make a beeline for the water. The second, I find to be most exhilarating, although both leave you with a faint buzz.

My friend and I discovered fountain running on our freshman year. One day, on our way back from class, we noticed the unbearable heat just as we happened to come across a fountain. WE looked at each other, dropped our baggage and the rest is history. Ever since, we have made it a tradition to go every Thursday. We put a halt to our tradition when the water is too cold and resume when the weather warms up. After our runs, we like to lie out on the stone benches. The warmth emanating from them and the sun are enough to slowly bake us and dry our clothes.

These two activities put together merit a full 7 on my ratings chart. Let me know if you guys have found other ways to enhance the fountain running sport.