From Horse Racing to Cheese Chasing: The World's Strangest Races
Some of the most unusual races you'll have ever heard of.
Most of our weeks see us putting on our trainers and going out for a run in our local streets and parks, exploring the area whilst we exercise. But some people take this a step further - in fact a small number of people go several thousand steps further, from making their way across the most frigid environments in the world to competing with powerful forces of nature, and even (if you can believe it) chasing cheese down hills. Over the course of this post I explore some of these races more in depth, finding out about their peculiar origins and exploring the wild imaginations of people across the globe. To be honest, as I was researching these, I became tempted to enter a few of them myself…
1 - Antarctic Ice Marathon
This race, as is implied in the name, takes place across the Antarctic Mainland, stretching the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles, with the option of a half for less hardcore runners (though after paying $22,500 in entrance fees, I wouldn’t feel to great about choosing the latter option). It provides a number of challenges, including unpredictable icy and snowy terrain and extremely low temperatures. Located near Ellsworth Mountains and not too far from the South Pole, it was established by an Irishman named Richard Donovan, who first completed it in January 2002. Coincidentally, its 20th anniversary falls on 13th December later this year.
Putting my running times to shame, one Sean Tobin completed it in 2:53:33 in 2022, which is about an hour and a half quicker than my predicted regular marathon time, and that’s in prime conditions. The oldest person to have ever completed the race was Roy Svenningsen, who was 84 at the time showing you that it’s never too late to stop ticking those items off the bucket list. The race has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the southernmost marathon on earth, while its sister, the northernmost marathon on earth, is the North Pole Marathon. Winds during the race have often dropped to temperatures lower than minus twenty degrees celsius, so it’s not for the faint. Runners would have to spend significant portions of their training adjusting for these conditions, making it unlike any Garmin training plan you’ve ever used. Would I do it? Probably, although I’m already imagining various scenarios in which I get holed up in an ice cave and die alone in the snow.
2 - Man vs. Horse Marathon, Wales
As you would expect, this race pits man against horse in a face off to see whether the endurance of humans could ever beat the undeniable power of horses. Held in Llanwrtyd Wells since 1980, large numbers from both parties have competed across the rugged terrain over the years, travelling up hills, along streams and through forests. The idea for the race was sparked when Gordon Green overheard an argument between two men in a pub over whether or not given the right circumstances and distance a human could be on equal footing with a horse. Clearly there was more interest in the topic, because the race was created soon after that and gradually evolved into what it is today. Though, I have to take a moment to admire the fact that a race born from a pub argument is just the most British thing.
And now the question we’ve all been waiting for - could 2 legs ever triumph over 4? Although it took 25 year, during a particularly hot race in 2004, a man named Huw Lobb competed and won, taking home the prize fund of £25,000. The last couple of races have seen humans take the trophy again, but overall only 4 people have ever won, so if you want to try your luck, the history books are wide open.
3 - Dino Dash, America
With recent years seeing over 200 competitors, the Dino Dash has grown significantly over its very short existence. In essence, the idea is very simple - you show up on race day in an inflatable dinosaur costume, and run like there’s no tomorrow.1 The race had very strange origins, beginning 8 years ago as part of a team-building activity for pest control. Videos of it went viral, which led to the rise in popularity we’ve seen since 2017. I would strongly encourage you to go and look up the videos of this competition, as it honestly looks like a mixture of a Saturday morning cartoon and some kind of sick horror movie. It is simply beyond bizarre. While not officially timed, the real reward is becoming an eternal meme.
Honourable Mention - Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, UK
I’m including this as an honourable mention as I came across it in my research, and although it’s not really your traditional sort of race, I felt the concept was too incredible for me to not include it. This event is held annually on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill (near Gloucester). The race begins as a 7-9 pound round of Double Gloucester Cheese is sent rolling down the 200yd long hill, which has a slope of about 26.6 degrees. After its one second head start, competitors chase it down the hill, racing to get to the bottom first. The round of cheese quickly gains high speeds, meaning spectators who are unfortunate enough to get in its way will almost definitely be injured. Would I compete in this event? Most definitely, mainly just for the absolutely chaotic fun of getting to chase a roll of cheese downhill. I love how this event just continues to go ahead, despite the clear occupational hazards it poses.
Running doesn’t always have to be about how fast your time is or how far the distance is - it’s also about the experience you’re getting out of it, however absurd it might seem. Although not all of us are planning on running across icy glaciers any time soon, it’s still amazing to hear about how far some people will (literally) go, so keep your eye out for any other races that are out of the ordinary, and feel free to drop any ones you already know of in the comments below - there were a lot of great ones I didn’t get a chance to include! Hopefully you enjoyed the post, or at least have one or two things to share with your family and friends over the weekend.
Until next time, keep running!
I’m very sorry to any of my readers from the prehistoric period - this was not intended as an attack on the great loss you are about to suffer as a result of the asteroid currently entering your atmosphere.