ATLANTA — At first glance you might not recognize Nigel Talton outside of uniform.
That's because for the past 6 years he's been known as "Beat the Freeze" between innings of the Atlanta Braves games racing fans, after giving them a generous head start of course.
"I do it for fans. So if a fan beats me, it doesn't bother me. I just want to have a safe race, entertain Braves country and the MLB," Talton said.
It all started back in 2017 and nearly 100 races in the outfield later, Talton has called it quits.
Just last month, Talton returned to Truist Park where the Braves honored him with a Freeze Bobblehead night, free to the first 15,000 fans, he says it was a moment he'll cherish forever.
"It's like a gold medal like nobody can take that from me. If it was a record, people can break your record but I feel like no one can take that bobble head from me. I'm just a man behind the mask. I'm a state champion, I'm a college champion and now I'm a World Series champion," he said.
That high school state title came from being a part of the football team in 2005. Talton says he thinks that chapter of his life is closed but hasn't ruled it out.
He says his favorite moments of being the freeze: traveling with the Yankees and Red Sox to London in 2018, participating in the 2019 All Star Game in Miami and last year racing Chad Ochocinco Johnson at Truist park.
He won that race, by the way.
RELATED ARTICLES: