2011 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Run
Saturday, 30 July 2011 @ 7:00 pm ET
Florida State University's Mike Long Track
Chieftain Way & Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida
Florida State University's Mike Long Track
Chieftain Way & Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida
Seven. A mystical number. There are seven days in the week. Seven planets visible to the naked eye. Seven hills of Rome. Seven wonders of the ancient world. Seven deadly sins.
And seven years since the Devil-Take-The-Hindmost was run in Tallahassee.
Which was, by the way, on the seventh of August, 2004. So on Saturday, the seventh day of the week, July 30, before the seventh month of 2011 is over, the Devil-Take-The-Hindmost will return to Florida's capital city. Back in the 1970s, the Devil came down from Georgia--i.e., local runners stole the idea from the Atlanta Track Club. After that it became a somewhat annual tradition up until about 1999, when it wasn't held again until 2004. And then not again till this year.
But what is the Devil-Take-The-Hindmost?
The Devil-Take-The-Hindmost takes place on the track. Runners will be led around the track for one lap by THE DEVIL. After that, they may set their own pace as long as they never get more than 100 meters (half a furlong) ahead of the slowest runner. At the end of the second lap there will be HELL TO PAY as THE DEVIL takes the hindmost runner off the track. Sometimes THE DEVIL gets greedy and takes two or more souls. THE DEVIL will continue to take his due at the end of each lap until only one runner is left--the winner, for now.
(Note the phrase, "slowest runner." If you aren't running, you aren't a runner. And however vigorously you happen to be moving, if you aren't making forward progress around the track, THE DEVIL won't consider you a runner.)
If interest is high, we'll run more than one section. If not many runners dare face THE DEVIL, we won't run as many laps.
You can also be like Dante Alighieri and just watch if you don't feel like running with THE DEVIL. Meet starting around 6:30pm ET. The run will start at 7:00PM ET. No pre-registration. No entry fee. No admission fee. Bring your own sacraments. Feel free to post questions, comments, and objections below.
Links:
- Post run story, "Akbar beats the Devil"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/devil-2011.html - Tallahassee's 2004 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Run
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/devil-2004.html - Find upcoming races less steeped in evil on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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