Or something? There was a brief flicker of hurt pride at Mattie's cavalier reference to his sporting fame - for all of his modesty, he was used to hometown hero status, and hadn't quite adjusted to the notion of potential campus anonymity just yet. It was only a flicker, though, and he nodded with a wry smile, glancing to the tree in question. "You sure?" He asked, drawing in a reluctant breath to showcase how certain he was of his impending victory. "If you insist..."
He placed one hand on the trunk of the tree they currently sheltered under, using it as the arbitrary starting point, and leaned forward as if on a track mark. "Ready? Get set..." He gave her one last merciful look, inviting her forfeit, before shrugging and finishing with an emphatic, "Go!" And he was off, sprinting through the rain-soaked ground, each footfall sending watter splaying out in every direction.