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by oneeyedpigeon 704 days ago
That last one is very unlucky — it was never a full 5 second head start!
1 comments

I hadn't heard of this event before but watching the video it does seem like the last one might have beaten the freeze if they had got a full 5 seconds head start. Makes you wonder if the freeze head start is based on how fast you run / how fit they think you are.

It seems like when the freeze is beaten, he is beaten by a hardcore amateur:

https://www.mlb.com/video/braves-fan-beats-the-freeze

It's clear from his form that he's an experienced runner. I googled a bit. He ran track in HS and at least the start of college. These were his HS senior times:

> Was the Region 6-AA Champion for finishing first in the 5k in 2010… Finished third in the state in the 5k in a time of 17:46.66 during the 2010 season.

https://ksuowls.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/parke...

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/new-dad-atlanta-braves-supe...

It's likely when the challenger happens to pass a certain part of the field, and most people cross that around 5 seconds in.