Spring Break
Man vs. Horse
Jeff Ellis
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Sports
Depending on your demographics and personal perspective, sports that are not considered mainstream can be thought of as "strange" if you can't pin-point the athletic ability often needed to be a participant. Truthfully, most Americans are not too interested in cricket, just as a majority of the people in India know and care little about baseball.
The following sports are above and beyond weird, but for the people making them possible, an argument could be made otherwise.
1. Man vs. Horse marathoning seems far-fetched, as traditional sports involving horses usually have its horses carrying a jockey across the finish line, not racing along the same track as human marathon runners. This sport takes place in Llanwrtyd Wells, a small town in the parish of Llanwrtyd in Powys, mid-Wales. The marathon consists of runners competing against mounted horse contestants in a 22 mile race. The sport was created in 1980 after a man by the name of Gordon Green argued with a friend supporting the idea that over such a long distance man was equal to any horse. After the 25th race in 2004, a man finally won with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds. It was the first time a person has beaten a horse in a race.
2. In the same town of Llanwrtyd Wells, you can find snorkelers bog-swimming using unorthodox swimming techniques, powered only by flipper propulsion in the annual World Bog Snorkeling Championships. Originating in 1985, the event spans 60 yards through a water-filled trench cut through a bog filled with decayed vegetable matter, and has contestants navigating themselves to the end of the trench with the goal of having the fastest time. Joanne Pitchforth of Heckmondwike is the current world record holder, with the time of 1 minute 35.18 seconds she put up in 2007. Great bog swimming is a talent in its own right, and although very outlandish, the proceeds go to charitable organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
3. If you have ever wanted to mastermind your opponent in chess and then proceed to dominate him in the boxing ring, then Chessboxing is the perfect sport for you. Requiring brain and brawn, this sport was started by a Dutch artist who was inspired by a book he had read that suggested something similar. Lasting up to eleven rounds, competitors start with a two-minute boxing round followed immediately with four minutes of chess. One minute breaks are offered in between each round to allow players to change into their proper attire. Contestants must be younger than 35, have boxing experience, have an ELO rating of over 1800 (the ELO rating system calculates the level of an individual's two-player game abilities in anything from chess to video games), and be willing to compete. The winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or judge's decision. Chessboxing made its premiere in Russia on Feb. 21 of this year, awakening a nation of chessboxers that had previously been competing in Berlin, Bulgaria and London. Check out more chessboxing information at http://site.wcbo.org/.
These sports are definitely out of the ordinary, and may be some of the weirdest that you have ever heard of. I know that there are a number of sports that could fit in this category but am curious for any suggestions from you. What strange sports have you taken part in or heard of?
Jeff Ellis, sports writer
sports@dailybarometer.com
The following sports are above and beyond weird, but for the people making them possible, an argument could be made otherwise.
1. Man vs. Horse marathoning seems far-fetched, as traditional sports involving horses usually have its horses carrying a jockey across the finish line, not racing along the same track as human marathon runners. This sport takes place in Llanwrtyd Wells, a small town in the parish of Llanwrtyd in Powys, mid-Wales. The marathon consists of runners competing against mounted horse contestants in a 22 mile race. The sport was created in 1980 after a man by the name of Gordon Green argued with a friend supporting the idea that over such a long distance man was equal to any horse. After the 25th race in 2004, a man finally won with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds. It was the first time a person has beaten a horse in a race.
2. In the same town of Llanwrtyd Wells, you can find snorkelers bog-swimming using unorthodox swimming techniques, powered only by flipper propulsion in the annual World Bog Snorkeling Championships. Originating in 1985, the event spans 60 yards through a water-filled trench cut through a bog filled with decayed vegetable matter, and has contestants navigating themselves to the end of the trench with the goal of having the fastest time. Joanne Pitchforth of Heckmondwike is the current world record holder, with the time of 1 minute 35.18 seconds she put up in 2007. Great bog swimming is a talent in its own right, and although very outlandish, the proceeds go to charitable organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
3. If you have ever wanted to mastermind your opponent in chess and then proceed to dominate him in the boxing ring, then Chessboxing is the perfect sport for you. Requiring brain and brawn, this sport was started by a Dutch artist who was inspired by a book he had read that suggested something similar. Lasting up to eleven rounds, competitors start with a two-minute boxing round followed immediately with four minutes of chess. One minute breaks are offered in between each round to allow players to change into their proper attire. Contestants must be younger than 35, have boxing experience, have an ELO rating of over 1800 (the ELO rating system calculates the level of an individual's two-player game abilities in anything from chess to video games), and be willing to compete. The winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or judge's decision. Chessboxing made its premiere in Russia on Feb. 21 of this year, awakening a nation of chessboxers that had previously been competing in Berlin, Bulgaria and London. Check out more chessboxing information at http://site.wcbo.org/.
These sports are definitely out of the ordinary, and may be some of the weirdest that you have ever heard of. I know that there are a number of sports that could fit in this category but am curious for any suggestions from you. What strange sports have you taken part in or heard of?
Jeff Ellis, sports writer
sports@dailybarometer.com
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