The day the rabbit got the invitation was a bright and sunny day. There wasn't a cloud in sight for miles.

       While outside, he got his mail and decided to read it in his den. He opened the letter he had received and read it to himself. It read, " Dear Rabbit, the townsfolk have been talking a lot lately about you and the fox. They are all wondering if you would be willing to compete in a race against this him. Come to the town square if you are interested by 2:00 tomorrow. From, Mayor Turtle"  "Hmm," thought the rabbit. "That sound like fun. I think I'll go see what this is." The rabbit decided to rest up for the race.

      Over the hill about a half a mile away lay a beautiful fox who happened to also be reading his mail. Reading the invitation for the race from Mayor Turtle, the fox decided that he would go. "Oooo," the fox said to himself.  "This sounds like just the race I have been looking for for years. Its the perfect race to try that concoction thats been in my family for years. Oh boy, I cant wait!" The fox would be there.

      The next day at 2:00 the rabbit and the fox arrived to the town for the big race. As they were marching up to the starting line, the rabbit noticed that the fox had 2 small pouches at his sides "What are in those pouches, Fox?" asked the rabbit curiously. "Uh, uh," the fox looked very uncomfortable. "I run better the more I weigh." The rabbit looked very doubtful, but he pushed those thoughts aside. He had a race to run.

      Mayor Turtle arrived on the scene and saw the 2 contestants ready to go. He explained the rules. "There will be no bumping, shoving, pushing, grabbing, slapping, biting, fighting or anything else similar to any of those. This is a fare honest race just so the townsfolk can know who is faster. The race itself is 4 miles long  that circles back to this point here. There are hurdles to jump, rocks to avoid, and a path to follow. Do you both hear me loud and clear?" "Yes sir," the rabbit and fox said. "Good. Any questions?" asked Mayor Turtle. "Yes sir," the rabbit said. "What does the winner receive?" The mayor thought for a second, then replied, "They will get a trophy that will forever stay in the family." "Ok, thank you," said the rabbit. He then bent down and got ready to race.

      Ms. Piggy git up to the line and said, "3...2...1...GO!!!!!" And they were off. The rabbit trailing the fox by just a few feet, and as they rounded the bend, the townsfolk settled in to wait for their return.

      The rabbit knew most of the 4 mile course set for the race, and so he knew most of it was woods were they wouldn't be seen. It also had a few short cuts spread throughout, but the rabbit wasn't sure where they lay.

       The fox was having similar thoughts. He knew of a few short cuts but they only let to chicken coups. But, if he stayed just behind the rabbit until there was just 1 mile left, then, and only then, would the rabbit find out what was really in those "weight pouches".

       For the first 3 miles, they just sprinted as fast as they could over trees, around rocks, and under bridges. On the last mile, the fox could tell the rabbit was tiring. Not that he wasn't a bit tired himself, but his families concoction that he'd had for breakfast was really helping him. Now it was time to put his plan into action. He moved in closer to the rabbit.

      The rabbit was exhausted. He had no idea how the fox was keeping up his speed the whole time without even breaking a sweat. The rabbit glanced to his left to check on his opponent and saw a foxy grin on the fox's face. "Good luck winning now, partner." With that, he reached into his "weight pouches" and pulled out a bunch of marbles! He threw them in front of the rabbit and he fell hard on his head, letting the fox run towards the finish line. That didn't stop the rabbit though, it just made him want to beat the fox even more.

       The fox was suddenly having a very hard time moving his feet. It was like they were stuck to the ground. He could see the finish line, only a hundred feet away! Why were his muscles stopping!? He only needed to go a little further! 50 feet! All of a sudden he collapsed, not able to go any farther. Thinking back to when he made his concoction, he then remembered the small print. It read, "The user of this will be able to run 3 1/2 miles much faster than normal, but after that, his leg muscles will stop for 2 hours. Nothing will be able to get him up." The fox sobbed as he thought of that, and now, as he watched the rabbit cross the finish line, with all the town cheering for him, the fox wished he hadn't cheated.

       The rabbit was overjoyed; he had won! Despite the fact that the fox had cheated, he had still won. Now he could go home and relax with the knowledge that he was faster with the fox. But not just yet. First he wanted to see if the fox was ok.

       "Are you ok, Fox?" the rabbit asked, bending over the fox. "What happened? You stopped right before the finish line even after you cheated. It didn't really stop me, just made me want to beat you even more." The fox sighed. "Yes, I cheated, but in more ways than one. I also had this concoction that makes you run faster when you take it. I've always wanted to try it, and this just seemed like the perfect time. I just forgot that it only works for 3 1/2 miles until it makes your muscles stop working. I'm sorry. I deserve to be punished." The fox bowed his head in shame. "Yes, you do deserve to be punished," the rabbit said "and I know just the thing."

        For the next 2 hours, the rabbit sat by the fox and the townsfolk praised the rabbit on his winning the race and chided the fox for cheating. Mayor Turtle smiled as he looked out his window to see this happening and decided to write down what had happened today so that the town never forgets the importance of doing thing the right way.