- Which of these races would you like to try to win?
A race is a really simple concept. You start at point A and try to reach point B as quickly as possible.
There’s always a place for a classic race, but it can get dull in the long run (pun unintended). To keep racing interesting, people have put various twists on it for ages.
Some of those twists are unusual, to say the least.
Here are nine examples of the oddest races held around the world.
1. Spartathlon
On the surface, there’s nothing that strange about the Spartathlon. What makes it unique, however, is that this is one of the most grueling races in the world.
This ultramarathon aims to recreate the route ran by Pheidippides, the Greek soldier who ran 153 miles to inform Athens of the victory at the Battle of Marathon. The runners are required to traverse the distance in 36 hours or less.
That’s a tall order to begin with, but the route adds a whole new level of challenge to the race. For instance, the runners must scale Mount Parthenion — in the darkness of midnight.
Oh, and Pheidippides dropped dead from overexertion after he’d delivered his message. That’s the kind of run we’re talking about here.
2. Beer Mile
Most running competition have hydration stations where the runners can get some water to fuel themselves. In the Beer Mile, the hydration stations are the race.
The run lasts only for the titular mile, but every quarter mile, the runners are required to stop and drink a beer. The drink must be at least 5% ABV and it must be finished before the runner can continue.
Considering that the race continues chugging four beers in a relatively short timespan while the competitors dehydrate themselves by sweating, there’s bound to be some stumbling at the finish line.
3. Krispy Kreme Challenge
Maybe beer isn’t your thing. Then how about a box of donuts?
The Krispy Kreme Challenge is an annual tradition in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the race, the competitors run 2.5 miles to a donut station, where they must stuff 12 donuts down their gullets as fast as possible.
Then, they run another 2.5 miles back to the starting point. Throwing up gets you disqualified — just as a fair warning.
4. Robotic Camel Racing
Camel racing, while exotic to us westerners, is nothing new. People of the Arab world have raced camels for thousands of years, and the races are even renowned as the Sport of Sheikhs.
The problem, however, has been the jockeys. The camels were traditionally jockeyed by young boys (since they weigh less than grown men), but there was an entire human trafficking industry that supplied jockeys to unscrupulous camel owners.
So, the official camel racing organization banned child jockeys. As a result, the owners of the race camels turned to robots.
Virtually all race camels are now jockeyed by small camera-equipped robots riding on their backs. It’s a win for human rights and it adds a nice high-tech touch to the race.
5. Idiotarod
Idiotarod is a sport for idiots. In these races, organized in various cities in North America, a group of “idiots” races a shopping cart through the streets.
However, it’s not enough to be the fastest. It’s just as, if not more important that the idiots have style.
The racers often don elaborate costumes and modify their shopping carts to the point that they’re often more like miniature parade floats.
6. Man vs. Horse Marathon
Who would win in a race, a man or a horse? Well, that’s what they try to find out at the annual Man vs. Horse Marathon, which takes place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every June.
Please do not ask us to type the name of this town again.
In any case, the race course is 22 miles, so a bit shorter than an actual marathon. Human runners compete against horse-borne riders to see who makes it to the goal first.
If you think the horses always win, you’d be wrong. Horses have lost to humans on four occasions, in 2007, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
7. Cheese Rolling
Every spring, people gather on Cooper’s Hill near the English town of Brockworth. They can’t wait to run after some cheese.
In this race, the organizer sends a seven-to-nine-pound wheel of cheese rolling down Cooper’s Hill. The competitors run after it, with the winner receiving the cheese as a prize.
Odd as the cheese-rolling tradition is, the races have been organized since 1826. In 2013, the organizers were forced to swap the real cheese for a foam imitation due to safety concerns, but the real cheese has since returned.
8. World Wife-Carrying Championship
One person’s weight is hard enough to drag through a race. In the wife-carrying championships, however, you’ll be hauling your wife as well.
Well, wife, husband, or any willing partner. The only requirement is that the person weigh at least 108 pounds.
It’s up to the contestants how the carried partner is hauled along. Princess carry, fireman carry, or Estonian-style (upside down with legs over the carrier’s shoulders) are all valid strategies. Yet, the most important rule is that everyone — including the carrier, the carried, and the audience — must have fun.
9. Omak Suicide Race
The name of Omak Suicide Race in Washington is not a marketing gimmick. In this horse race, there’s a very real chance that the rider or the ride might end up dead.
In the rice, the riders take a 120-galloping start. They then plunge down more than 210 feet down a 62-degree slope into a river, after which they must climb another 500-foot hill.
The event proudly proclaims that every year, riders and horses alike suffer horrendous injuries in the race. They also note that, since 1893, at least 22 horses have died in the race.
You’d imagine that this race would run afoul of animal cruelty laws, but Washington’s laws contain a loophole for horse racing and rodeos.