Suppose it's 2019 and you're writing a story about the Boston Marathon. You know that the Boston Marathon was first run in 1897. Which annual running is taking place in 2019?
Boston isn't the only venerable race around; quite a few Tallahassee road races are approaching a vigorous middle age--or at least the races are older than many of their participants. Figuring out which running of a race is being held is not difficult, but it can be confusing because it's slightly different from figuring out how old a person is. Of course you could simply count, but who wants to take off their shoes and socks just to determine that next year will be 20th Annual Flash 12K? So--before I again hear the question "Which Pine Run is this?"--here is how to find out.
- Find out the first year the race was run.
- Subtract the first year from the current year.
- Add one.
Step 3 is quite important. Without step 3, you'd conclude that the first running of a race was the zero-th running of a race--an absurdity.
EXAMPLE
The first Pine Run 20K was held in 1977. Which Pine Run will be held this fall?
SOLUTION
2007 - 1977 + 1 = 31. This fall will be the 31st Annual Pine Run 20K.
EXERCISES
The first Palace Saloon 5K was held in 1975. Which Palace Saloon 5K will be run on 12 April 2008?
The first Turkey Trot was contested in 1976. Which Turkey Trot will be run on the morning of Thanksgiving Day, 2007?
The first Springtime road race was held in 1976. On 29 March 2008 Gulf Winds Track Club will host the _____ Annual Springtime 10K.
Another April race is the Rose City 10K, first held in 1978. Which Rose City 10K will be run in 2008?
A relative youngster on the racing schedule, the first Pot Luck Bash was run in 1998. Which Pot Luck Bash will we enjoy in June of 2008?
BONUS:
In 2008, Jay Silvanima will direct the 34th Annual Tallahassee Marathon. What year was the first Tallahassee Marathon run?
