Okay, so I'm in Denmark last March and I keep seeing signs on the highways for "Fart Control." I ask Thomas and Anette (shown above lounging on a bench in "Our Town, USA" last month) who are hosting Joanne and me for the day, 'What's with these fart control signs all over.' They chuckle and tell us that 'fart' is the Danish word for 'speed'. Okay, those are speed control checkpoints on the freeways, ah, makes sense, even if it looks quite funny to us.
So, Thomas proceeds to tell us how he is a marathon runner and helps out with his club organizing the Copenhagen Marathon. He is assigned to be a sort of pace setter, every so many miles a guy or girl runs with the group and at a certain speed so they can keep their pace going (I don't entirely understand this since I wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a marathon). This person wears a brightly colored tank labeled "Fart Holder" so that the runners know who is holding the pace for them, and the English speaking people are just cracking up! So, I tell Thomas that's pretty cool, it would be a riot to have one of those to wear around in the U. S.
Fast forward to October 2008. Thomas and Anette are chaperoning their Danish students in "Our Town" and I invite them to dinner to thank them for the hospitality they showed me in DK. As we are finishing up dinner, I ask Thomas to tell my husband the story about the 'fart' I can't remember the exact details but I remember it's funny. Thomas says, "Funny you should ask" and goes into the hallway and brings back a bag with the above pictured yellow tank top for me. He actually wore it in one of the Copenhagen marathons and has brought it for me as a gift. I guess he was waiting patiently for me to bring it up, as I did see him a few times over the two weeks they were here.
So, that it is the story behind the picture. I wore it over to Joanne's house for a farewell dinner for the Danes and I thought her husband was going to steal it off my back. It was such a hilarious image for him. I haven't had the nerve to wear just out and about for all to see, but maybe when the weather gets warmer and I start training for that marathon...
