Upon first hearing about this horse race, I envisioned a large open field circling a dusty track packed with infinite rows of tents hosted by people from colleges native to the Carolinas. Every square inch of the venue is covered with identical white vinyl fabrics spread out and held by four silver poles staked in the ground buzzing with college students in pastel pants and sundresses. Aside from the laggy cell service, you need to watch where you are going to avoid being skimmed by a police golf cart…"ain't nobody got time for that."
The main portion of the day is spent in the bus there and this is truly a trek. This particular Saturday falling annually on the first weekend of April, is a long long day. The timeline of events go as follows…
6:30 a.m. - Wake up before the sun is out and muster up the energy to drive to Bagel Station to fill your stomach before consuming beverages on the ride there.
8:00 a.m. - Arriving to the buses' location of pick up on time, but...the chariot casually pulling up 30 minutes to an hour late.
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - The first hour or two are drowsy struggles to fully wake up and get hyped for the full day of sun and making consistent stops for people to use the bathroom.
12:00 p.m. - Breaking out into a low key jog to find the clumps of tents filled with friends from Wake, Charleston, USC, Duke, etc.
1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Running around with, or trying to find friends, dancing, and dodging law enforcement, if suspicious.
5:00 p.m. - Attempting to rally the troops of 20+ people to lure them into quickly returning to the bus.
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - These 3 hours feel like centuries…you are exhausted, sun burned, and wishing time travel existed so you can shower, eat, and get in bed.
10:00 p.m. - Instantly falling asleep and thinking your twin xl is a California King in the Ritz Carlton.
Needless to say…this day is epic and definitely a highlight of the year. I highly encourage for every Wake student to go at least once before they graduate.
