Picture five girls walking down the street, all equally athletic looking. You see three girls walking briskly, talking about how they are going to conquer life more than they already have.

Now, let them pass and just wait a few more seconds. Just a little bit longer… Finally, you see the other two, only ten meters behind the first three. It looks like they are singing, probably a song from the early 2000s.

And they are uncontrollably laughing because, once again, they are trailing behind. Now that you have that image in your mind, take a guess, which girls do you think completed a triathlon?

You got it! Those three girls are pictured above. My three best friends who went and conquered. I know what you are thinking: but where are the other two? They are behind the camera and let me tell you why that's okay.

Kaitlin and I were the go-to-girls. We carried our friends' belongings, took hundreds of pictures, sat in the blazing sun, and dashed from the finish line to the finish line. Exhausting right?

Alright, not as exhausting as the triathlon, but it was pretty close. Keep in mind, these are the two girls that are always ten meters behind. Like most days, she was my partner in crime… literally.

Our friend from track also did the triathlon that day. She asked us to hold onto her energy boosting jelly beans and toss them to her while she was in action. Well, as you know, Kaitlin and I were quite tired that morning, maybe even growing weak from hunger. (I'm just going to say it before you call me out on it — I'm extremely over dramatic).

So, we did something we are still not proud of to this day. We ate the jelly beans and prayed that our friend wouldn't ask for them. Elaina, if you're reading this, I am so sorry. And if you noticed that I couldn't look you in the eye after you crossed the finish line, this is why.

Although I did not participate in the triathlon like Megan, Paulina, and Nichole did, that Saturday was the most rewarding day I had in a long time. As I was cheering on my friends a stranger came up to me. She wanted to tell me what a supportive friend I was being, and how lucky my friends are to have me.

At this moment, my insecurity about being the friend on the sideline vanished. I was no longer cursing my incapability to swim. Nor did I feel ashamed of my lack of motivation to exercise that weekend. In my opinion, the words of this stranger were worth more than any medal.

So, the moral of the story is, if you're not in the triathlon, cheer on the sidelines, it's just as rewarding. Be the best friend you could be, even if it means stealing jelly beans for an extra boost. And never feel bad about being ten meters behind… it's more fun anyway.