Rocky 50K Founder to Debut Awesome New Fun Run This Summer

Photo via Rebecca Schaefer

You’re going to want to clear your schedule for the date of June 27th: Rebecca Schaefer, founder of the beloved Rocky 50K, and her friend Wesley Celestino, are planning to debut a seriously fun (and free!) race that day dubbed Devil Takes the Hindmost. And trust me, it will be like no other race you’ve run before. So, like I said, clear your schedule.

The idea of the race is this: Everyone starts on a track and runs two laps, then on the third lap, and every lap following, Schaefer and Celestino will pull the last three stragglers out of the race. Then, once it’s down to 20 people, they’ll pull two each lap and, once it gets down to 10, they’ll pull one. Oh! And they’ll be dressed up as devils — horns, tails and all. See? Devil Takes the Hindmost.

The race doesn’t have a specified distance, which is where the need for strategy comes in: It’s not necessarily the fastest runner who wins — it’s whichever runner manages to not be last without tiring themselves out at the get-go. As Schaefer explained, if enough people show up (it is free after all!), the race could end up being the same distance as a 10K.

The idea for the fun run actually comes from Schaefer’s high school days when the same race used to make guest appearances at track and field meets where she grew up in Maryland. I ran track for a good seven years of my life and never encountered it, and Schaefer says she’s only met a few other folks (aside from her high school friends, obviously) who’ve run it. So her and Wesley felt they needed to bring the fun to the masses. Thanks, guys!

The race festivities will kick off at 11 a.m. on June 27th, and there will be two races: one for guys and one for girls. The location has yet to be determined; Schaefer says they’re in the process of choosing a spot (they have a few options in mind), but they can say with certainty, whichever track they choose will be in the city and easy to get to. The winners of each race will go home with a sweet prize and, afterward, everyone will head somewhere to celebrate.

And did I mention that costumes are strongly encouraged? We’re thinking there will be lots of angels floating around. You can follow the race on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date, and we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop on the location once they secure a spot. Until then, better get to costume-making!

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