Pride comes before...the epic fail

This video and photo don't do this moment justice.  Seeing the moment from this angle doesn't communicate the utter hilarious failure of the runner in the orange jersey - read on, friends -  



Too soon to cruise...



This race was part of the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend.  (I was fortunate enough to have tickets on the finish line! – Thank you, Johny!)   This is a photo of the finish of the men’s mile run. 

Let me set the scene: 

Indoor track meets are interesting events in and of themselves because there are twice as many laps in every event because the track is only 200 meters, so for the mile, there are 8 laps.  After several of these long races, and because there are six field events going on simultaneously, people get a little ADD and start not paying attention, but this, my friends, was like a visual magnet – you know, like how everything suddenly gets deathly quiet as you make a loud and awkward comment about something and then everyone looks at you…

Ok, back to the scent - the OSU kid (the runner in the orange jersey with #3 – heretofore known as Mr. OSU #3) had led the race for 7 ¾ laps, and you can see how close the other runners are to him – the pack was no more than ten yards spread the whole time.  It was a very close, very predictable and, well, boring race. 

Until…

It was the last homestretch, and Mr. OSU #3 glanced over his right shoulder, to the outside, and saw no one was competing with him for the last 10 yards, so he kicked it into cruising gear for that last little stretch.  Just then, Rico Loy (that’s really his name, poor thing – the runner from Iowa State), pushes through on the inside, just as Mr. OSU #3 raised his hand in this pointed victory gesture. The crowd of 2000 erupted in laughter and then in applause as Rico pulled ahead of presumptuous Mr. OSU #3  to win the race in the last three yards as Mr OSU #3 saw Rico pass. 

OSU #3 turned as red as I have ever seen another human being who hasn’t been at Padre Island for Spring Break, and he stayed that color even through the medals presentation several minutes later. Of course, he should have been that embarrassed for wearing such a god-awful color (I’m sure that their color blind coach or T. Boone Pickens chose the shade of hunter’s orange for these jerseys). 

It kinda served him right, though – you gotta keep it going through the finish!

This was not the only demonstration of this principle on this day – the Kansas State high jumper was trying to set the number one high jump mark in the nation, so the announcer kept drawing everyone’s attention to him before he jumped, and he made the crowd clap in unison before he started – well, every time he did this, he failed miserably.  Every time no one seemed to be watching, he was marevelously flawless in his approach and in his form – it was like watching the sun shine it was so natural and perfect.  Until he tried to show off for the crowd. 

So, what’s the takeaway here? 

Pride comes before the fail –

and don’t rest on your laurels
if your laurels are still 10 yards away. 

http://www.cyclones.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?catid=-2&id=849912
this link is to the video of Rico talking about the race - he's not a great interview, but hey, not everyone can be stellar at everything -