Ready, set, slow: The World Snail Racing Championships returns
Slow and steady wins the race and this was certainly the case at the World Snail Racing Championships 2023.
Hosted for the first time since 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the championship attracted visitors and locals alike to the small village of Congham, in Norfolk, on July 8.
The annual snail event holds a Guinness World Record as the longest humane snail-racing world championships.
It is the brainchild of founder Tom Elwes, who set up the event in the 1960s, after watching snails race at an event in France.
The event has been held at Grimston Cricket Club ever since and the snail master starts the race by shouting: ‘Ready, steady, slow! And off dash the snails!’.
A tablecloth is covered in a damp cloth which is marked with two circles.
The snails start inside the red one and the first to make it outside the outer circle wins.
Contestants can select snails provided by the snail master or they can bring along their own.
Archie the snail holds the record for completing the 13-inch stretch in just two minutes and 22 seconds in 1995.
This year was a slow and sluggish start for the snails because of the hot and humid conditions.
The fastest snail from each heat earned a coveted spot in the grand final and seven heats were held.
This year’s winner was Evie the snail, which made her four-year-old trainer, Lettie Spragg, the youngest trainer in the game’s history.
Lettie and Evie were awarded with a silver tankard filled to the brim with lettuce leaves.
Sammy the snail won in 2019, having completed the course in two minutes and 38 seconds.
The proceeds from the competition go towards St Andrew’s Church in the village.
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