Bungee Race

It seems to me that sprinting races, while certainly requiring athletic prowess, only focus on one skill: short burts of speed. What I suggest is an alternative form of racing that focuses on more skills.

Straight track races should be held in which each runner, by means of a special harness, is attached to a long elastic band. These giant rubber bands would go behind the runners and retract into spools at the starting gate. Due to the nature of elasticity, the race would be completely normal in the beginning; the runners would be able to bound ahead with little to no hindrance, as the band unfurls behind them loosely. Little by little, however, the runners would have to resist the increasing pull of their elastic band. At a certain point, the race would become a competition of strength and endurance as the runners struggle against the stretchy fetters that hold them back. Those with less grip in their sneakers would begin to find themselves moonwalking, or even sliding backwards. Eventually, the winner would pull themselves across the finish line, perhaps on all fours, straining against an extremely taut rope of rubber. the fun doesn't end there, however. Runners can't truly relax until they detach their harness; those who forget to do so will find themselves flying backwards toward the beginning.