Kentucky cross country runner forfeits rather than wear No. 666

In Kentucky, controversy has erupted over a girls’ cross country runner deciding to forfeit a race rather than run wearing the number 666.

Codie Thacker from Whitley County High School refused to run after being assigned 666 for religious reasons. The number is “associated with the beast” in the Bible.

“I didn’t want to risk my relationship with God and try to take that number,” Thacker told Lexington, Ky., NBC affiliate LEX18. “I told them to mark out my name because it makes me sick just thinking that my name is associated with that number.”

Clearly, someone should have simply switched her number.

A spokesperson with the Kentucky High School Athletic Assn. told LEX18 that no one told them the number-change request was because of religious beliefs and that they would have changed the number if that request had been made.

Here’s the link to a Yahoo story.

[email protected]