We recall the story that the ancient historians from Greece shared with us.

In the story, the King of Troy had one hundred children. Among all his daughter Cassandra, who was also known as Alexandra, was the most beautiful. Cassandra’s beauty was unmatched by the mortals of her time, and maybe those of the times that came before or after. Cassandra’s beauty was so great, that she caught the attention of the gods. In the story we learn that even high Apollo, son of Zeus, was smitten. In his efforts to seduce Cassandra, Apollo shared with her many great gifts. Greatest among these gifts was the ability to sense and see the future. Cassandra’s gift of prophecy was powerful, as it was true.

Yet despite his gifts and his beautiful music, Apollo never won Cassandra’s heart. In his frustration and rage, Apollo cursed Cassandra. We learn that Apollo did not take away what he had given. Instead, he undercut Cassandra’s great gift of foresight by bedeviling others so they would not believe her words. Though Cassandra might see the future, her tragic curse prohibited her from sharing those visions.

The story continues and Cassandra had many visions, all of the true, all of them disbelieved in her time. She foresaw that Paris would abduct Helen and force her to be his wife, and that this would lead to a great war between the armies of Greece and Troy. And yet her warnings went unheeded. Cassandra foresaw that the Greeks would hide their army inside a great wooden horse, and like the priest Laocoön (we remember, “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes! ” ), she warned the people of Troy not to bring it inside the city’s walls. Cassandra’s words were not heard, and the Trojans were destroyed.

Cassandra’s story teaches us that having foreknowledge of dark events but a voice that cannot be heard is a curse. The story is relevant to this day, as I look forward to the dark events yet to come. Even though I might warn you of the cruel suffering ahead, rendered at the hand of monkeys, you will not hear my warnings. And the future that is fated to come will come to be no matter.

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Periodically I will send you emails and share info on social media. This is info about the race. As always, if you don’t find this in your email, check your junk mail and spam filters. Here is some info to get you started. There will be more. Later.

- Your registration info is posted on the Monkey's website AND here: http://www.runningahead.com/events/Monkey/participants. Please take a look to make sure it is correct. If you have run this race before, please make sure your monkey count is correct.

- As always, we will not have automatic text messaging of your splits from this race, to be sent to friends and family everywhere. There will not be SnapChat filters, Twitter hashtags or Facebook live streams. We will not have finish line videos on the web, indexed with your bib number. We will not have cheer squads along the way, with a competition for best spirit and costume. We will not have pace groups. We will not have timing mats every quarter mile.

- Packet pickup will be at the Gordon JCC on November 18, 2017 between 2pm and 4pm. The JCC is located at 801 Percy Warner Blvd, Nashville, TN 37148. This is less than 2 miles from the race start/finish area. Packet pickup will also be available race morning adjacent to the starting line.

- Running is stupid.

- If you do find a Monkey’s wisdom while out thinking you are training, and you realize you won't be able to make it to the race, please let me know so I can offer your spot to one of the foolish fools on our wait list.

- We are always looking for volunteers on race morning AND in the days leading up to the race. So if you know of anybody smart enough not to run who wants to come out and spend a sweltering or freezing morning in the park helping out, please let us know. Volunteers are awesome!

- The website lists information about where there is lodging near the race and restaurants where you can dine over the weekend. In addition, if you have further questions, feel free to holler or to put out a query on our message board: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/HHFMM/forum. If you post there, please don't mind the monkey business.

- We do still have charity registration spots available. Please share this with your friends. The charity slots help out the non profit organization that helps curate the park where we hold the race.

If I cannot warn you, nobody can.
Trent