Our friends in baseball have given Track fans an inadvertent promotion. The Atlanta Braves sponsor a contest called “Beat the Freeze.” It is a race between Nigel Talon, the Freeze, and a fan selected from the stands. They race along the outfield warning track from the left field to the right field foul poles. The distance is about 190 meters.
Gotta Look Sharp
The Freeze dresses in googles and a glacier breeze colored bodysuit that resembles the slushy drink he promotes. This is tantamount to a runner’s endorsement of cookies but I won’t complain. McDonalds is a long time Olympic Sponsor. Money talks.
The Grift
As a sporting gesture, The Freeze spots his opponent about a five second head start. The lead looks insurmountable even against the marginally fit contestants he races. But, one hundred and ninety meter is farther than one realizes. The contestants’ cars probably aren’t parked that far from their seats. Talent and fitness almost always prevails.
One can only imagine the affirmations these guys are pumped with before they toe the line against the Freeze. Friends gotta be in their ears, “Dude you got it. You were the fastest kid in our class at Dodgen Middle School. The Freeze has nothing on you.”
Could it also be the lights and crowd that lures civilians to race a real athlete? Are they given beer tickets by the Braves promotion team for rehydration after the race but they guzzle beer before the race to summon courage? As Reality TV producers say, “The crazier the better.”
It’s Not a Game
Participants have face planted to the dirt, pulled hamstrings and smelled victory only to have it snatched at the line. Inevitable pain doesn’t deter volunteers from stepping forward to race the Freeze.
The Freeze never ran in the Olympics or other championship meets but he can run. His 10.47 100M and 21.63 200M personal bests are solid times. These marks, however, leave him outside of truly elite racing. The Freeze is definitely not DI. In fact, USA’s 2020 Olympic 200M Bronze medalist, Gabby Thomas, has run faster in the 200M with a PB of 21.61.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not hating on The Freeze. My point is he’s fast but don’t let his show overshadow what’s really fast. It’s like when the football world got excited over DK Metcalf’s amazing run to tackle Budda Baker. The feat even inspired Metcalf to race the real track guys. Surprisingly, DK held his own but he still finished last against the pros.
The fastest runners in the world are the track guys. Enough said.
A foot race is one of the earliest and purest forms of entertainment. Narrative is what makes it special. A race against a fan in the stands or a guy from another sport captures peoples’ attention. It’s not a gimmick. It’s a story. All this is to say, Track and Field needs to tell stories. It’s not all about records.