![The Devil meant business when she arrived at the Mike Long Track. [PHOTO BY JOLENA PACE] The Devil](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxD3ZIQs7gEjpFdDPUDdZf2q10vHxP5BdhYgQL2OdTnf4oNuLrHVrmpWZ7wNmFZ7qcG8B66fgiyf0YVDsMhpvFBAHeou2b0fa8HhRbLoR2nFba8H-WBVsHl_n8o-cwtydEwowlxTpZylE/s200/dth04.jpg)
By 7:00 PM, almost two dozen lost souls had joined her to take part in the revival of Tallahassee's Devil-Take-The-Hindmost run.
It's a different sort of race. The first lap is paced by the Devil. After that, the runners may proceed at whatever pace they choose, as long as the front runners are no more than 100 meters ahead of the last runner. At the end of the second and subsequent laps, the Devil takes the last runner off the track. The run continues until the Devil has taken all but one runner; that remaining athlete is the winner. Formerly, the Devil-Take-The-Hindmost had been an annual Tallahassee tradition, purportedly borrowed from the Atlanta Track Club sometime in the dim 1970's and held each summer as late as 1999. But until the 2004 race, the Devil had not been seen in Tallahassee for some time.
![The Devil claims her first victim, Susan Cornwell. [PHOTO BY JOLENA PACE] Devil takes the hindmost](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnPdN-bYX804nvglM74qibk_MeIcJcV6eLgmLPw79c_Zwov1tcsauKfMbmRDHyDnfOz2yAfB_FFFVw5uZzhUapo9b7SfbAg2QmvmR-V3C129rO0Ly3N-vBJhEgOes3X64umPLX3ysVf8/s200/dth06.jpg)
Like in a nature documentary, the slow, the young, the old, and the infirm were first to go. As the slowest runners left the pack, the pace became more heated. The struggle for survival was often cruel; Ace Haddock out-dueled Paul Peavy at the end of the 11th lap to win one more lap of life, but was so exhausted that he was easily take by the Devil at the end of lap 12. Occasionally the field was able to catch a breather, as on lap 16 when Keith Rowe fell 100 meters back and then took his own time completing the lap. Who would be in a hurry to meet a trident-wielding Devil?
![Running got more serious as the field dwindled. [PHOTO BY JOLENA PACE] Devil-Take-The-Hindmost runners](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwJhyphenhyphenZM-5Wbuh_ARrJJ5nQPvFrGhD7LeX1oqqPvWabVNJM2Rk2AYuVX3DO-aNDR5hgtVRkn6A28ftJcKSRIQTlQPs9YkrY2k4zvIQUIgbnIN-zGAPtZ51zDW7SAnml88CPjJVq3VLhvg/s200/dth09.jpg)
Until next summer.
Thanks for this year's production go to Christine Klassen for appearing as the Devil, to Judith Taber for keeping the results, to Jeffrey Bryan for being the gatekeeper, to Bill Lott for working as flagman, to Jo Lena Pace for the photographic record, to Florida State University and Coach Bob Braman for the venue, and to Sports Beat's Shannon Sullivan as Devil-Director Emeritus. Thanks also to the fans and the curious whose enthusiastic presence in the stands was much appreciated.
Results, Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Run Saturday, 7 August 2004 Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Florida | ||
---|---|---|
PLACE | NAME | LAPS |
1. | Andrew Wills | 23 |
2. | Zach Galloway | 22 |
3. | R. J. Von Merzeldt | 21 |
4. | Jack McDermott | 20 |
5. | Scott Ruplinger | 19 |
6. | Stewart Nincehelser | 18 |
7. | Dana Stetson | 17 |
8. | Keith Rowe | 16 |
9. | Brant Foster | 15 |
10. | Jared Black | 14 |
11. | Shannon Sullivan | 13 |
12. | Ace Haddock | 12 |
13. | Paul Peavy | 11 |
14. | Adrianna Esherri | 10 |
15. | Malcolm Morrison | 9 |
16. | Jessica Stewart | 8 |
17. | Jim Zimmerman | 7 |
18. | Jamie Wright | 6 |
19. | Daniella Esherri | 5 |
20. | Mike Schneider | 4 |
21. | Willow Shanti | 3 |
22. | Susan Cornwell | 2 |
Links:
- More of JoLena Pace's photos of Tallahassee's 2004 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Run
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100935814013063.3182680.5215641&l=c668dba06f - Want to run in the 2011 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost?
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/devil-returns-2011.html - There are many more conventional races scheduled in the area
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
No comments:
Post a Comment