If you thought that competing in a race meant putting one foot in front of the other as quickly as you can then you are sadly mistaken. Sometimes it means eating pizza, sometimes it means kicking oranges and sometimes it means, hey, kicking oranges.
The Pig Race
I once saw one of these races take place in Northern Ireland, so it’s not like I’m just making it up. Unless I’m making up the bit about seeing it happening in Northern Ireland. I’ve probably never even been to Ireland, have I? Anyway, if you want to compete you just need a pig, a toy jockey and a rather strange sense of humour. In this photo, the porker in 4th place looks really determined to make up the ground and win the darned thing. Does anyone out there know how it ended? Maybe there’s a YouTube video or something?
The Pantomime Grand National Race
You probably already know that the Grand National race is all about horses running around and jumping over things. However, what is this wacky pantomime version about? Frankly, it is pretty much the same but involves people dressed as horses. It’s a genius idea and one that could catch one across the world. I wouldn’t mind dressing up as a pig and taking part in that race we looked at in the last point.
The Bed Race
There are days when you want to get out and test your body to the limit in a thrilling and perhaps even gruelling race to the death. Other times you just want to snuggle up in bed with a morning newspaper and a cup of milky tea. Hell, why not combine both of these diametrically opposed hobbies and race in your bed? Be careful not to spill the tea as you hurtle round at corner at breakneck speed.
The Woolsack Race
If you have ever lifted a really heavy sack of wool then I bet that one thought flashed across your mind as you wheezed and your knees wobbled; I wonder whether I could get to the top of the hill faster than those other people who are also carrying sacks of wool. Someone finally had the good sense to make this common yearning into a race.
The Orange Race
Running along and kicking oranges as fast as you can is a fun thing to do but does it make for a serious competitive sport? These people certainly seem to think so. Sadly, the guy who is bent over at the back seems to be out of the running already.
The Pizza Run
I love pizza and I enjoy running. This means that the New York Pizza Run is a good idea in my eyes. The only problem might be the constant risk of chundering, as this strange race involves running and eating 3 slices of pizza. We’re unlikely to see it at the Olympics anytime soon, although the sound of Pizza Synchronised Swimming or Pizza Gymnastics is intriguing.
The Stiletto Race
I have never tried running in shoes with stiletto heels but I guess that it might be fairly difficult. This is an event that takes place in Moscow and we can see from the fate of runner number 121 that the risk of falling over isn’t to be taken lightly.
