16 Strangest Races on the World
People love competitions, and especially the ones that include speed, running, and if possible getting injured or at least dirty. Here are some of the strangest and most unusual races that I managed to find on web. Ready, steady, off we go!
Camel Races
Let's start easy, with somewhat unusual races, the camel races, popular in Arabic world. Is you ask them it is not that unusual, it's something like horse race in the West.
Pig Races
But, this one is a lot weirder. It's a pig race! But people looked at it and realized that's not weird enough, so they decided to put little dolls like pig jockeys, to spice things up. This is the final result, I have to admit it looks really crazy.
Duck Races
And for those how don't really feel like pork, and would prefer something lighter for dinner, there is a geese race (or duck, I'm not really sure what are these). :)
Donkey Races
Now, this is what a race look like in Pakistan! Just bring out your fastest donkey and your lightest chariot and you're ready!
Cosmo High Heels Race
Now, let's move to something more elegant and ladylike - Cosmo High Heels Race! This looks terribly uncomfortable. I mean, I can barely manage to walk in high heels, and just the thought of running, no matter how short distance, makes my feet ache! This girls are true adventurists!
Carrot Shaped Vehicle Races
I don't have the slightest idea, what is going on here. Apparently, this girl is chasing a carrot shaped vehicle. Don't ask me why!
Fisher Races
And there is a fisher race. Now, when someone says a fisher race, you'll expect fishers competing in their catch, but now, this guys are taking the race thing quite literally, they are running with their catch, and the fastest fisher is the winner!
Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling Races
You might have already heard about this one, it is the famous world known Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling Race. As you've probably heard already, the competitors in this race are trying their best, breaking legs, arms and necks to catch piece of cheese that is speeding up to 70 mph down the steep hill side. Sounds crazy? Well, that's because it is! I can't come up with a good enough reason to do something like this.
Cosmopolitan High Heel Races / Transvestites
This one is very similar to Cosmopolitan High Heel Race, except for the fact that here aren't women who's running, but transvestites. It is called The Annual DC High-heel Transvestite Race and it raises a lot of controversy in public, not only in DC, but all over the world and raises many questions about sexual orientation discrimination. In my opinion, it's interesting and funny, an I don't see anything wrong about it.
Beetle Races
And, of course, there is the beetle race! Now, you might expect people driving Volkswagen's old well known model to race, but that simply isn't strange enough! No, here you'll see actual beetles, like bugs competing to reach the finish line first. It simply makes more sense. :)
Barrel Races
And there goes the barrel race! Once more, you might (wrongly) think we're talking about the standard boring barrel racing on rodeo with horses and stuff like that, but no. Here we're talking about people pushing and rolling barrels down the streets of Montepulciano Bravio delle Botti, Tuscany, Italy. You'll have to admit it's a lot more fun, than the old cowboy's game. Each barrel is rolled by two 'springitori' (barrel rollers), representing a different district of the village. They compete for a palio - the painted silk banner traditionally awarded to Tuscan sporting victors - etched with an image of San Giovanni Decollato, the patron saint of Montepulciano.
Dirty Pig Races
Here's another pig race, this time without doll jockeys. Pig racing is a sport in which juvenile pigs race around a small enclosed dirt, fake grass or gravel track. This racing is usually purely for entertainment, and betting is not part of it. It is often one of the attractions at county fairs. I know it sound bad, but I simply can't stop picturing small hams running. :)
Office Chair Races
On April 28th 2008 German office workers have decided rather than sitting in their chairs all day they will use them to race each other instead. This is probably the result of long and boring office hours, when nothing interesting happens. These office workers simply felt the need to go out and do something wild and exciting.
Frog Races
They need to add speed limit at this competition. :)
Bride Races
Also, we have the race known as "The Running of the Brides". The Running of the Brides is a local tradition that has taken place since 1947 at Filene's Basement in downtown Boston that has held a one-day sale of wedding gowns, garnering local media attention because of the sight of hundreds of brides-to-be scrambling for bargains. The store stocks thousands of gowns for that day, and marks them down drastically. Prospective brides, and their hovering mothers, line up the night before the doors open at 6 a.m to join in the rush. In the first few minutes, most of the dresses are taken off the racks by the patrons, some of whom try them on in the aisles. Bartering is not uncommon. The gowns are not returnable. Also there is one very interesting race in Serbia, Belgrade for a free wedding.
Turtle Races
And, last but not the least, also a race that breaks the speed of light, impossible to catch it with your bare eye - The Turtle Race! Turtle racing is a popular event in the Central United States which is usually held at county fairs or picnics, in which turtles are placed in the center of a circle by children and are allowed to walk around until one of them crosses out of the circle. Although there are races where turtles are lined up on a track and others that allow adults to participate, these are the exception rather than the rule.
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