h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I won't ask how you got up high enough to make this aerial photo. Who or what would be racing anyway? Is it a hundred-yard dash for a track meet? Why does the track go diagonally across the landscape?

So many questions, so few answers.

It is located in the playground belonging to our local primary school. They recently corrected the spelling, but not the orientation/lane numbering.(sigh)

My youngest goes there. I already explained it to him.

That's kind of amazing.

I guess the teachers could use it for teaching how *not* to do things.

This has certainly been a talking point on Social Media!

"It’s a möbius running strip."

"I think someone has a sense of humor"

"The first will be last and the last will be first... And upside down apparently..."

"Wherever you go, there you are...right?"

"At least if 2 wins, we know 2 wins"

I love that last one.

I'm still not clear as to what kind of races the track was designed for. Can any one enlighten me?

Running for primary school kids. Apparently.

If a kid is a first-grader when he runs on lane 1, he becomes a third-grader by the end of the track. This is reversed on lane 3. I can imagine a lot of kids being amused by all this.

It might be a test.

I can't imagine what the answers might be.

42?

Yes, there is always that.

What I'm thinking is that the three tracks may be training for the real world that the students will eventually graduate into. If you start at one and find yourself at three at the other end, you simply walk around to the beginning of three, run to the end, and find yourself at one again. A round circle, like the ruts many adults find themselves in. Or, you can run down track two. You'll never get anywhere, but it's secure knowing you'll never be lost.