Off Track

For the last four years, Katherine "Kip" Bennett has chased one goal: to beat Callan Woods. The last thing she expects is to make him an impossible promise.

"I'll help you run again."

As captains of their university athletics team, Kip and Callan are fierce rivals, reluctant friends, and the last two people anyone expects to need each other. But just days after Nationals, a devastating accident shatters Callan's future, ending his sprinting career before it reaches the starting line. Then he disappears, cutting himself off from everyone who ever mattered.

Months ago, Callan Woods was the fastest sprinter in the country and a favourite for the upcoming Summer Olympics.

Now, he won't even answer her calls.

Back for her final year of an Exercise and Sport Science degree, Kip is assigned a Capstone Project exploring athlete identity, recovery, and life after career-ending injury. The research points her back to the one person determined to prove he doesn't need anyone. But the man she finds isn't the Callan she remembers. He's built walls where finish lines used to be, convinced the race is already over.

Keeping her promise may mean helping him run again. But first, she'll have to convince him his story isn't over.