Excellent question! What I have invested in this race is the time and energy of reading 47 pages of postings of just this thread alone, plus the starter thread when jpar threw down the challenge. At this point, if I have to be an asshole to goad these two into doing what they stood up and volunteered to do all of their own volition, then I'll do that; I'm good at being an asshole when the mood strikes.
I don't think it's too much to ask them to ACTUALLY run the race they said they would do.