Everyone in the world, and I mean EVERYONE, knows how ridiculous some of the sports competitions in the United Kingdom are. From cheese rolling to the ‘Shin Kicking Championship’ to the annual ‘Cheese Rolling Championship’, it seems like the UK’s basically just making sh*t up on the fly because they love to gamble on anything and everything. Which is why I wasn’t the least bit shocked when I came across footage of the 2015 World Snail Racing Championship, held in the Village of Congham in Norfolk, England. If ever there was a sport deserving of air time on ‘ESPN 8: The Ocho’ it would be the World Snail Racing Championship.
The 2015’s World Snail Racing Championship saw 175 snails competing on the 13-inch course for the title of the fastest snail in the world, each vying to break Archie’s world record set back in 1995 when Archie beasted the competition and set a blazing world record of 2 minutes, 20 seconds. A buddy of mine recently moved to London and texted me one night from a bar that the TV at the pub was showing ‘competitive gardening’, and until I came across ‘snail racing’ I was certain that competitive gardening had to be the MOST BRITISH SPORT IMAGINABLE. Alas, I was wrong.
Here are some highlight video (and GIFs) from the 2015 Snail Racing Championship held in the village of Congham, in Norfolk, England: