In a vast field that stretched as far as the eye could see, a great multitude of people milled about waiting for something to happen. Quite unexpectedly a messenger came into the midst of the people and announced, "You are to walk around this field 25 times carrying a baton." The people were a bit mystified by these words and asked, "What will happen when we finish?" "You will learn the answer when you are done," came the reply. So the crowd ambled off to make its first lap of the field. It took almost a full day at a leisurely pace to walk around the field, but they eventually made the circuit the first time. This feat called for a celebration. 

As the crowd celebrated they decided, just for the heck of it, to make the next lap more interesting. They broke into teams to race against each…