Presidents Race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Presidents Race is a promotional event held at every Washington Nationals home game at RFK Memorial Stadium during the fourth inning. The race was inspired by the Milwaukee Brewers' Sausage Race, where people dressed as sausages race along the field. The Presidents' Race features four former Presidents of the United States, namely those found on Mount Rushmore: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt. The "presidents" are dressed in period costumes and topped with giant foam caricature heads.
The Presidents' Race was originally a computer-generated event shown on the stadium's giant video board. After the team's purchase by Ted Lerner before the 2006 season, the new owner announced changes for the stadium and a "grand re-opening" of RFK Stadium after the All-Star Break. One of the changes to the stadium was the Presidents' Race becoming a live event. The first live race was held on July 21, 2006.
The race begins as a computer-generated game on the video board. This video segment shows the four presidents dashing through a cartoonish Washington, DC. The four presidents then head towards RFK Stadium and disappear from the screen. Immediately thereafter, the presidents emerge from the right field corner in the "flesh" as ten-foot tall men with large caricature foam heads. The presidents bolt out from right field and down the first base line, past the visitors' dugout. The race has become a fan favorite despite the Nationals' losing season in 2006.
A running gag of the 2006 season was that Theodore Roosevelt never won a race. The reasons for Roosevelt's failures varied, ranging from tripping to confusion to striking up conversations with fans and forgetting to run. In one infamous incident, Roosevelt cheated and drove a golf cart to race past his competitors. He crossed the finish line well ahead of the others, but was disqualified for his tactics.
It has not yet been determined whether the caricature-headed presidents will still be racing after the team moves to the new Nationals Ballpark in 2008.
