What is the most awkward thing you have ever done or seen on the starting line?

Lining up for the 3200 at Regionals the starter was joking with us. He asked if we were ready and nobody wanted to start. He said he tell us a joke first and then we'd start. Thinking it might take a minute or two everyone starts to relax. The start say "A blonde walks into a bar, Set, GO!" it was a mad scramble to get to the line.

At another early season 3200 race the wind was blowing about 40mph and the temp was mid-40s. A group of us were joking about turning it into an 800 sprint instead. A freshman from the host school turns to me and says seriously. I thought I play with him for a little bit and got him thoroughly convinced that we were only running an 800. I turned to him just before the gun went off and told him I was joking. He ended up winning the race and State.

whodunnit? wrote:

during the 3200m in track, a guy was finishing the race, like 300m to go. then he shat himself

he did finish the race

A guy sat down, and stuck both legs behind his head.

Seeing he had no immediate escape i went behind him pulled down my shorts and took a shat on his head.

im serious.

XC sectionals my freshman year, we walk up to the line. The starter says, "mark, set". Before he gets go out, as everyone is standing silently waiting my teammate yells "Who's standing on my dick?!"

First meet of my freshman year (1996 Fordham Fiasco at VCP), just after the starter yelled "runners set," our captain said "fellas, this one's for Tupac."

It was a fitting tribute to the fallen hip-hop artist.

start slow run fast wrote:

What is the most awkward thing you have ever seen on the starting line?

Probably at the Conference meet, telling our captain and my best friend that I had been sleeping with his fiancee all season.

Not really, but that would have been good!

I showed up a 3mi road race in gainesville and one of my hs teammates, a sprinter, no less shows and says he going to run. At the sarting line he is doing warm-up drill in spikes. He ended up running sub 17 after sprinting going out in 25 sec for the first 200 going clackity clack.

At a 10-mile trail run one time we were out on a trail about a quarter-mile from teh parking lot for the start when a couple of bear cubs suddenly appear on the trail ahead of us. The starter was out there facing us so he didn't see them. The cubs came toward him and he still didn't see them. Then the mother bear came out of the woods and swatted him across the head, killing him. We're still standing here, waiting for the race to start.

I hate myself for this, but I am laughing my ass off right now at this incredibly stupid and untrue story.

Major Major wrote:

At a 10-mile trail run one time we were out on a trail about a quarter-mile from teh parking lot for the start when a couple of bear cubs suddenly appear on the trail ahead of us. The starter was out there facing us so he didn't see them. The cubs came toward him and he still didn't see them. Then the mother bear came out of the woods and swatted him across the head, killing him. We're still standing here, waiting for the race to start.

Napa marathon last year had some fat guy in a diaper sucking a bottle. I wanted to puke!

We'd been called to our marks and were all in the set position, when a girl from a rival club let out the hugest fart ever, then the gun fired. I think I was laughing for about 50 metres.

One of my college buddies was running a beach leg of a team iron man and while waiting for their leg to start there was a guy that was smoking buts and killed a bottle of Drambuie

also Jim Emord from trinity used to chant in navajo or some such indian language i don't know it's not that crazy but it was one of the most awkward things i've seen on the line

My senior year in school at a small cross country invitational (8 teams), everyone is on the line, sweats off, no more strides...and the starter tells us that the mother of one of the runners has just had a heart attack. The ambulance shows up and the woman dies right there on the course. 15 minutes later they line us all back up. Everyone is depressed and down. It didn't feel right to be racing. Then I won. It was the only race I ever won in cross country. I was jacked. But, then felt like a total jerk because I was celebrating. No way would I have won that race if that woman hadn't of died.

A moment I will never forget.

Did you go to the funeral and thank her?

Anyway, I've heard the Xavier guys playing the Penis game on the starting line. You know, someone softly says Penis and then it's a challenge as to who can say Penis louder when everyone is focused and quiet. I'd DQ my own guys if I caught them doing it, but it's kinda funny (and sad) watching some other supposedly DI team pull this.

First of all, I just thought I'd mention I'm at work and have been rolling at these for the last 30 minutes, literally cracking up out loud...

second...

10 runners on the line for an 800, tired from the mile earlier in the day, we ALL agreed on jogging the first 700 meters, slower then 800 pace, then having an all out spring to the finish in the final 100 meters... It was soo close they announced two seperate ties. We all broke 4 minutes, but hey, the final 100 had to be near 12!

This is an absolute true story. In junior high school I was anchoring the mile relay for Eastwood Junior High and Mark Berkowitz (Marc Sommers of Super Sloppy Doubledare fame) was anchoring for Westlane (Indianapolis). It was a cold day in the spring and every one was keeping their sweats on until the last moment before racing. As the third runners were on the back stretch, Mark and I both removed our sweats and he had not worn shorts. There he was in his jock strap as his team mate came around the turn. Mark got his sweatpants back up, but not tied. He ran his leg with a baton in one hand and holding his baggy 1960's sweat pants up with his other. I ran on to win for the glory of Eastwood! That was the last 440 I raced until Sam Bell made the Indiana U. vaulters run the mile relay in the OSU Horseshoe, but that is another story!

I saw a guy drop his shorts, 20 seconds before the gun at a big 10k and take a dump, right there on the 2nd row....not many saw it, as he was bunched in with 3,000 other runners.....I was shocked ,but then the gun went off.....how about those joggers that might step on that dump as they crossed the line?.....lol....

I should add, that he was a foreigner and probably a 28 min 10k guy. A pro.(but not sure who he was). I was the 'local' star who got to the 2nd row with my 29:30 pr.

gamiler wrote:

First of all, I just thought I'd mention I'm at work and have been rolling at these for the last 30 minutes, literally cracking up out loud...

second...

10 runners on the line for an 800, tired from the mile earlier in the day, we ALL agreed on jogging the first 700 meters, slower then 800 pace, then having an all out spring to the finish in the final 100 meters... It was soo close they announced two seperate ties. We all broke 4 minutes, but hey, the final 100 had to be near 12!

Unless this is a lie, which I suspect it is, you all must have been awful runners because no legit athlete would ever agree to do that in a race. And if I were a coach and someone did that on my watch, he'd never run for me again.

That said, I think its a lie.