This track serves as the final statement on endurance. It’s the "victory lap" that acknowledges the pain of the journey. The production is Soulful and Cinematic: a steady, mid-tempo drum break, a warm bassline, and a repeating vocal chop that sounds like a choir chanting in the distance.

Marathon

(Intro) (Sound of heavy, rhythmic breathing. A solo trumpet plays a mournful but triumphant melody. The beat drops in—it’s a steady, relentless march.)

(Spoken: "They asked me how I’m still standing. I told 'em I stopped looking at the finish line a long time ago. I just started looking at my feet. It’s not a sprint. It’s a life. Let’s run.")

Verse 1 Mile one was a party, everyone was on the track By mile ten, I noticed they were never coming back The crowd gets thinner when the hills get steep And the promises get harder for a soul to keep I got blisters on my ego and a cramp in my pride But I’m keeping all the fire tucked away on the inside I’ve seen the sprinters fly past, burning up the air Only to see 'em at the roadside, gasping in despair You can't cheat the distance, you can't bribe the road You just gotta find a rhythm for the carrying of the load I’m a long-distance legend in a short-term world Watching every flag of the victory unfurled.

Chorus It’s a Marathon, baby, it’s a long-haul flight We’re running through the morning and we’re running through the night Heartbeat steady like a metronome clicking While the clock on the wall is just ticking and ticking I’m still here. (Yeah, I’m still here.) The finish line is wherever I disappear.

Verse 2 I’ve hit the wall so many times I call it my home I’ve ran through the desert and I’ve ran through the foam My lungs are like bellows, my legs are like steel I’ve forgotten how the "easy way" is supposed to feel They try to trip me with the gossip, try to cage me with the doubt But I’m exhaling the poison and I’m breathing it out Every puddle is a lesson, every shadow is a guide I’m a masterpiece of movement with nothing left to hide I don't need a trophy, I don't need a golden cup I just need the strength to keep the chin looking up I’m a pioneer of pacing, I’m the king of the stride Taking every single failure for a beautiful ride.

Chorus It’s a Marathon, baby, it’s a long-haul flight We’re running through the morning and we’re running through the night Heartbeat steady like a metronome clicking While the clock on the wall is just ticking and ticking I’m still here. (Yeah, I’m still here.) The finish line is wherever I disappear.

Bridge (The drums pull back, leaving only the bass and the trumpet. The rapper’s voice is raw and low.) Left foot. Right foot. Breath in. Don't quit. The pain is a guest, but the soul is the host. Don't stop running till you see the ghost... Of the person you were when the race began. (Now finish it.)

Verse 3 Now the sun is going down and the stadium is quiet But inside of my chest there’s a beautiful riot I’m passing the ghosts of the ones who gave up Refusing the water and refusing the cup I’ve found a second wind, then a third, then a fourth I’m a compass needle always pointing to the North It’s not about the speed, and it’s not about the grace It’s about the look of iron on a weary-eyed face I’m crossing the line? No, the line’s crossing me I’m the longest-running story that you’re ever gonna see. Marathon.

Outro (The choir chant grows louder and then suddenly cuts to just the sound of the drums. One by one, the instruments drop out until it’s just the rhythmic breathing from the intro.)

(Spoken: "Don't check the time. Check your pulse. You’re still in it. The race doesn't end... it just changes shape. Keep moving.")

(Sound of footsteps on gravel, fading out into a long, sustained trumpet note.)