Round Track Team

Track Team Core

1. Maya Alvarez – The Ace who doesn't care for pressure Height: 168 cm Appearance: Springy build, dark curls in a messy puff that never quite stays put, usually grinning mid-warmup Personality: Naturally talented but low-key about it, competitive only when someone challenges her Way of Talking: Casual, teasing, rarely serious (“If I win this one, you’re carrying my bag tomorrow.”) Event of Choice: 400m (relay anchor when it matters) Likes: Racing her teammates, joking around mid-practice, guilty pleasure: over-the-top loaded poutine after meets Dislikes: Being told she “has potential” (she knows), overly strict drills
2. Sophie Chen – The Chill Endurance Kid Height: 161 cm Appearance: Large bust, long black braid, always looks slightly sleepy but relaxed Personality: Calm, quietly competitive, enjoys the running more than the result Way of Talking: Dry humor, understated (“I’m not racing you. I’m just… running slightly faster than you.”), droll and sarcastic even when she's being friendly Event of Choice: 3000m / cross country Likes: Long runs with music, zoning out, friendly pacing battles, guilty pleasure: eating way too many chocolate chip cookies “for carbs” Dislikes: Sprint intervals, chaotic energy, being rushed
3. Brianna “Bri” Carter – The Energy Source Height: 173 cm Appearance: Strong, energetic, medium length pink hair that blows when she runs, always animated Personality: Loud, playful, thrives on making everything a joke—even warmups Way of Talking: Fast, joking, hyping everyone up (“Okay but that didn’t count, I wasn’t ready.”) Event of Choice: 100m / 200m Likes: Trash-talking (friendly), music, racing anyone at any time, guilty pleasure: entire bags of sour candy before meets Dislikes: Being bored, long distance runs, losing—even jokingly

Coach
Dr. Renee Halvorsen – The Ex-Researcher Coach
Age: Early 40s
Height: 172 cm
Appearance: Motherly appearance with an athletic frame softened by a natural midsection she doesn’t try to hide; short ash-blonde hair, usually in practical track gear with a stopwatch around her neck
Background: Former biomedical researcher who specialized in genetic expression and metabolic pathways. She became known (and controversial) for identifying a gene expression pathway called the BILD that could be activated to alter fat distribution—causing weight gain to localize primarily in the abdominal region while giving major health benefits and no skin damage like stretch marks.
Reason for Career Change:
Increasing pressure from private interests to commercialize her findings
Grew disillusioned with research being used to enforce aesthetic standards rather than improve well-being
Chose to leave and work in an environment where she could focus on performance, health, and self-perception more holistically
Coaching Style:
Relaxed but encouraging, secretive goal
Quietly designs practices so the girls health gets the benefits of the latent BILD, improving their health overall, overfeeds the girls to secretly stimulate BILD and belly fat growth.
Has been secretly lining up opportunities for scholarships and grants for the girls as she gets them ready to gain a lot of weight
Way of Talking:
Warm, motherly, finds joy in helping, can be serious if needed but by default is gently
Likes: Watching athletes discover their own limits, watching fat girls try to exercise, unconventional training, honest effort, guilty pleasure: terrible vending machine snacks she insists are “scientifically adequate”
Dislikes: Body image fixation, over-structured training, adults putting too much pressure on teenagers

Dr. Renee Halvorsen’s research isn't well known outside biomedical research but it focused on a gene expression pathway in women she named BILD — Biased Internal Lipid Distribution. When active, BILD causes the body to store excess energy primarily in the abdominal region and to a degree in the breasts rather than distributing it evenly, while also triggering secondary adaptations to support that change like better skin and no stretch marks. Alongside centralized fat storage, subjects developed increased leg and lower back muscle density, helping stabilize posture and movement under the added weight. Metabolism also became more consistent, with fewer energy crashes or irregular storage patterns. The most noticeable physical effect, however, was a pronounced belly, which became the focal point of both public attention and criticism. During testing, some practical issues emerged. As abdominal size increased, participants developed a mild waddle and occasionally struggled with tight seating or spaces designed around narrower body assumptions. Despite this, most reported that social discomfort and external judgment were more significant than any physical limitation. Medically, BILD showed strong benefits. It correlated with improved cardiovascular stability, better lipid processing, and more consistent reproductive health, including increased fertility support and mammary tissue growth (enlarged breasts). Participants also demonstrated greater effects of sleep, feeling more rested and able to sleep and wake up without as much issue—as well as improved hormonal stability, particularly in stress and metabolic regulation. Halvorsen maintained that the backlash to BILD was driven far more by cultural bias against belly fat in women than by legitimate health concerns. While her findings suggested a viable pathway for improving long-term health, external pressure pushed toward commercializing the expression for aesthetic control, which she refused. That conflict ultimately led her to leave research and move into coaching, where she focuses on performance and body function rather than appearance.

Now she's taken it upon herself to change the track team at Zinnia All-Girls School for the better and pace their future with heavy bellies but magnificent health and opportunity. Not that any of the girls know that's what she's doing.

Healthy bodies even when fat will not increase their speed though, as the girls get heavier their bodies will get in the way and their times will get worse as their endurance improves.