[complete] Event 3 Task 2

[The Goddess Nike]

It was a good race, and despite her allowances, they ran it clean. As the sun climbed to it's highest point, they gathered again in the arena. The score board flashed in the sunlight, displaying the first task's scores. 

Team Alpha, Starlin has earned you 6 points
Team Beta, Castile has earned you 6 points
Team Gamma, Jinju has earned you 8 points
Team Delta, Astrophel has earned you 10 points
Team Epsilon, Andulvar has earned you 6 points
Team Zeta, Leilan has earned you 7 points
Team Eta, Durotan has earned you 6 points
Team Theta, Warrick has earned you 6 points
Team Iota, Scorch has earned you 9 points
Team Kappa, Hephaestus has earned you 6 points

_____________________________________________________________________________

As the crowd gathers once more, they arrive to see the third arena has been outfitted differently for this task. Sleds make up a neat row on one end of the arena, while distance markers are set at regular intervals the length of it. The wind has died down now, letting the heat of the sun draw sweat from the competitor's flanks. The goddess leads the ten to the sleds, offers to help them into the simple rope harness. "As I'm certain you've guessed by now, this is to be a drafting competition. Each sled is weighted with precisely five percent of your own body weight. Not too terrible, right? There is a catch. It will get heavier the further you pull it. If you make it all the way across the field, you will be hauling 20 percent of your weight by the last quarter length. This will take endurance as well as strength of limb. Good luck, my Strong Ones." Once they are settled, a banner appears. Twisting and floating in the air, it glides in a mesmerizing pattern before drifting to the dusty ground. The draft has begun.

The question you must answer: What is the minimum height allowed for a Budweiser Clydesdale horse?

A reminder about the 200 maximum word limit unless otherwise noted.

[Leilan]

Leilan finds himself breathing heavily at the end of the race; but his mother somehow beat him to it. It’s insane, but nothing more to do now. Nike’s question had put him off; he thinks in another race he might best her still. Or maybe in a straight line. Whatever.

The golden goddess gives them another quest quickly, and he snaps to attention. He wants to do better; to do best! If not for beating his mother, then for helping his teammates who have done so well. Now he is given a pulling excersize which will magically increase in difficulty; he simply starts pulling. He starts fast and ends more slowly; but he tries his best and that’s what matters, right?

18 hh is the minimum height

[Astrophel]

A new day, a new task.
Astrophel accepts the task at hand—pulling a sled was easier than done. He allows the harness to be put onto him. Feeling the weight of the sled easily.
When the draft beings, Astrophel pulls forward. The sled is easily weighted and he finds the it much easier than the race he ran before. He pulls and pulls, feeling it as he gets closer to the finish line that it is getting heavier but he does not stop.
Eventually he reaches the end.
Word Count: 88
Answer: 18hh

[Hephaestus]

Hephaestus had not been pleased by his performance during the last event, but at the sight of the sleds be felt himself bristle. He was ready and he stepped up prepared to take the challenge. He allowed himself to be fastened to the sled and began pulling, the weight feeling surprisingly light at the start. 

Confidently, he continued on, keeping his eyes glued to the finish line. Just as the Goddess had promised he began to feel the weight grow with each step. When he finally crossed the finish line, his legs were shaking with the effort it'd taken him. Standing proudly he steadied his breath.

Answer: 18hh

[Castile]

Castile accepts the harness being placed on his body, shuffling his hooves anxiously and peering back over his shoulder at the sled. This, he muses, is his forte. Strength has always been his best attribute given his size and breeding.

With a grunt, he begins the long trek around the arena, his mismatched eyes forward with determination. The muscles in his body ripple powerfully as he continues to pull his breaths are labored but he tries to keep it even as the weight continues to gradually increase with time. The sunlight is fanning across his body as sweat glistens on the surface.

Push, he tells himself. He doesn't regard the other competitors this time. He is solely focusing on himself, on this difficult task. Before he knows it, with his body lathered and exhausted, Castile crosses the finish line.


The Clydesdale have an 18 hand minimum to be a Budweiser horse.

[Hestia]

18 hh is the minimum height

She doesn't rush, she begins walking at a steady pace, every step easy in the beginning, its just like trudging through the jungle as she's done in the past. Not to terrible, but the closer she gets the harder it gets, Still she keeps the stead pace, straining her muscles as the weight increases. soon she is lathered in sweat, but she doesn't quit. and finally she makes it to her destination, dropping the weight with heaving sides. She thinks maybe she's let herself go a little to long.

[Scorch]

18 hh is the minimum height.

There isn't a component of speed in this round, as there was in the last.
Her legs ache about halfway through the course, but she's had worse. She pushes through it, gritting her teeth, knowing she still had double the amount of weight to pull.
She isn't the first to finish across the line, but she does finish, and that alone is enough for her. If she cannot win, she will at least finish.

[Starlin]

Starlin accepts the help of the golden goddess, knowing that brute force is not her forte.

Still, she has no intention of disappointing her teammates (or herself) so when the last bit of the golden banner flutters to the ground, she begins without hesitation. One hoof, then the next. She starts with an easy 50 pounds, and by the time she is halfway down the field she's pulling 100lbs. The last quarter of the field is where it becomes the worst, and she can feel the burning strain in her legs and chest.

She does not stop when she crosses the finish line. She does stop moving forward, but she lifts each leg for a moment, refusing to let them before stiff as she looks around to gauge her placing in the pull.

18 hh is the minimum height for a Budweiser Clydesdale.

[Durotan]

18 hh is the minimum height

The arena is different once again, the golden goddess helps him into his harness. The sleigh starts at five percent of his weight and ends in twenty percent, thats not an unmanageable task, easier than a speed race. He starts off in a fast trot, the sled is very easy to pull but as he continues it gets heavier and heavier. By the end he attenpts to gallop but the weight of the sled keeps him at a lope. He tries his hardest to go faster than the others but he can see a few already at the finish line. He finally reaches the finish line himself, not pleased with his placement.