Preps reporter Emily Tropp and I were discussing what half marathon to do next a little while back. Having enough time to train was obviously the first criterion, but another issue that came up was the size of the race — not because that gave us more of a shot at entering, but because a smaller race meant we were more likely to finish last.
Runners of the Woodstock 5K in Anniston, Ala., didn’t have to worry about that, though: Two women and their daughters volunteered to finish last on purpose. The motivation, at least for Michelle Butler, came from pre-triathlon nerves; until she found out there was a designated last-place finisher for the triathlon, she was afraid she’d be bringing up the rear.
So she decided to return the favor, and if you read the Anniston Star’s article on it, you’ll see that she wholeheartedly embraced her role as running shrink for almost 1,300 entrants.
Thanks to Running Is Funny for the tip.
