Crazy Raсes and Competitions in Britain

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Aims of the Work To trace the craziest and most unusual races and competitions in Britain To try to understand why people take part in these events To express my own opinion about these events

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Introduction People are very competitive by nature. They can turn anything into a competition. Many people know about such challenging competitions as the Olympics, the famous World Marathons, and the Ironman Triathlon. B ut have you ever heard of the World Toe Wrestling Championship? Or about the International Bed Jumping Competition? For those of you who haven’t got any idea about them this information would be really exiting.

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Charity Events Some of crazy competitions and unusual events are done for raising money for different charities.

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The Santa Run It is a five km Charity fun run through various parks of London which takes place on the first weekend of December. The Santa Run is organised to raise funds for Disability Snowsport UK, a national charity helping people with disabilities to have the thrill of snow sports.

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Christmas Pudding Run It takes place at Covent Garden Square on the first Saturday in December. Teams of six try to make their way through a course full of flour-filled balloons, foam jets and other obstacles while trying to keep their Christmas pudding balanced on a fragile plate. Competitors raise money for the Cancer Research charity.

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The Mascot Grand National The Mascot Grand National is an annual race between mascots of various sports teams and corporate mascots. It has been run since 1999 and since 2012 has been held at Kempton Park Racecourse. Up to 100 mascots in full-body costumes take part. It is a short race with low hurdles (approximately 40cm high). The mascots' entry fees are donated to charity .

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Great British Duck Race on the Thames The first Sunday in September 2008 175,000 blue plastic ducks were set loose at Hampton Court in the name of world record breaking and charity and ‘raced’ downstream with one lucky winner receiving a big cash prize. This year’s Great British Duck Race (2013) scored a new world record for the most rubber ducks in one place. The annual Great British Duck Race, a charity event where people paid £2 two enlist their rubber ducky in a race on the river Thames. The prize was 10,000 pounds for the fastest floating rubber duck on the river and all the earnings went to charities (NSPCC and Water Aid).

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Worthing Birdman The Birdman is a flight competition for human powered flying machines. It is held every summer in the picturesque seaside town of Worthing on England's South Coast. Many flyers take part to raise money for charities, other design complex machines to aim for the distance prizes. A prize of £10,000 is offered for the furthest flight over a 100 metre distance. There are three Classes that can enter the competition : Leonardo Da Vinci Class, Condor Class and Kingfisher lass. Kingfisher class is open for fun flyers and is a great way to earn more money for charity.

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The Great Gorilla Run The first Gorilla Run took place in 2003. Hundreds of people put on their gorilla suits and join the 8k fun run route starting at Mincing Court in the City and passing some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral. They run, jog or walk 8km though the City of London to help save a species on the edge of extinction Now in its 11th year, this incredible event has raised more than £2 million for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction projects in central Africa.

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Races and Competitions for Fame Many people take part in races and competitions for becoming famous and get some prize money.

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World Nettle Eating Championship Each year on the 2nd Saturday in June at the Bottle Inn in Dorset, the annual contest in nettle eating takes place. Competitors are encouraged to eat as many nettles as possible in one hour. The winner is the person with the longest length of empty stalk. The competition originated from a contest between two farmers in the 18 th century. Today people travel internationally to watch or take part. The spectators can look forward to the grimaces of the participants.

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World Bog Snorkelling Championship The World Bog Snorkelling Championship was first held in 1985. It takes place annually every August Bank Holiday near Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales. Bog snorkelling is a sporting event in which competitors should complete two lengths (about 120 yards) of a water filled trench cut through a bog in the shortest time possible. Mask, snorkel and flippers is the equipment competitors need to take part. They should complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying only on flipper power.

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World Pie Throwing Championship It is held every year in Ramsbottom near Manchester in northern England. Many years ago Lancaster and York met on the battlefield. When they ran out of ammunition they started throwing food. To this day the battle is commemorated by the throwing of Lancastrian (black) pudding at a target of Yorkshire pudding. First of all you should have a pair of ladies' tights handy. Then take your pudding and place it into the foot of your tights. Hurl the pudding-weighted tights at a 20 feet high stack of Yorkshire puddings and try to knock off as many as you can.

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Worm Charming Worm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. Such competitions are organised in many places of the country. Every year contestants gather to “charm” worms out of the ground using different techniques. They usually have a zone in which to perform their charming, measuring three yards square. In most competitions collector of the most worms in a set time being declared as the winner.

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World’s Best Liar Competition The event is held at the Bridge Inn in Cumbria and is a very popular contest to find the best ‘tall-storyteller’. The winner gets the title of ‘The Biggest Liar in the World.’ The ever-popular contest began in 1974 and continues to attract visitors from the whole world. Contestants must tell their five- to 10-minute tall tales in front of the judges and the audience. The event is held in memory of Will Ritson , a Cumbrian publican in the 19th century with a gift for telling tall stories.

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Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Every year this happens on Cooper’s Hill in England . The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling Festival is held every year on the second May Bank Holiday and has been going for over 100 years. A piece of cheese is thrown down a very steep hill by a master of ceremonies as thousands look on. Imagine 30 grown ups running down a hill trying to catch a rolling cheese. There are races both for men and women. But they are rather risky because of injuries. Many people change their minds when they see the hill.

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Garlic Eating Championship On September, 14, 2013 the town of Bridport , Dorset, England hosted the 1st annual world garlic eating competition. It was held at the George Inn. The contestants had to eat garlic at a set time and claim the title of the fastest garlic eater. Similar championships are also held in some countries of the world.

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Pie-eating Championship The annual World Pie Eating Championship is usually held in Wigan , Greater Manchester, England. The competition has been held since 1992. Contestants from all over the world come to Harry's Bar on Wallgate and claim the title of the fastest meat pie eater. They take part in competitive eating of a meat pie in the shortest time possible. In 2006, a vegetarian version of a pie was added.

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Snail Races For more than 25 years, the World Snail Racing Championships have been held in a tiny village Сongham in Norfolk in July. More than 300 snails compete for the title of ‘Fastest Snail in the World.’ Anyone with a snail can enter and a number of heats are held before the grand final. The winner receives a silver tankard stuffed with lettuce. Snail racing is very popular in many countries and attracts hundreds of tourists to the village.

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Fun Events Many events are organised just for fun or to work out stress.

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Sheep Races in Scotland The Race is held in August in the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire , Scotland. This is the second time (2013) the town organised the sheep race. Spectators come in hundreds to cheer their favourite sheep race down the Main Street. Little knitted jockeys filled with wool are strapped on tight to the sheeps ’ backs before they are sent down the street. The race involves the sheep jumping over a series of hurdles and dashing over a finish line. The sheep races celebrate Moffat’s sheep farming and centuries old woolen industry as well as sheep farming traditions. The event is made possible thanks to local shepherds.

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Custard Pie-Throwing Championship The world pie-throwing championships is held in the village of Coxheath in Kent. The event started in 1967 when the local council decided it was time to stop clowning around and raise money for a new village hall . You should throw your pie at your rival aiming to hit to hit his/her face. You should use only your left arm.

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Pancake Races Shrove Tuesday is known in the UK as Pancake Day. Traditionally people ate pancakes on this day to use up eggs and milk before the fasting season of Lent. It is believed that Pancake racing originated in the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire. There are a growing number of annual Pancake Day races in London. The aim of a pancake race is to run as fast as you can and toss a pancake in a frying pan. Some events have teams doing relay races, some have competitors in fancy dress, but all are great fun to watch.

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Trafalgar Square Pillow Battle International Pillow Fight Day took place on the 7 th of April 2013in London. Thousands of people armed with pillows crowded in Trafalgar Square. Some people fought so enthusiastically that their pillows ripped and feathers flew into the air. London was just one of more than 100 cities around the world to take part in the event. The pillow fights are seen as a good and fun way to get people outside and relieve any stress.

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The Underwater Pumpkin Carving Competition In the final weeks of October, hundreds of dive shops, clubs and quarries will sponsor underwater pumpkin carving contests Underwater pumpkin carving is very popular in many countries. Contestants put on their diving gear and drop down to a depth of less than 7 feet, where they try to carve funny and beautiful jack- o’lanterns . They want to claim the top spots. While it may sound like a fun thing to do, carving a pumpkin underwater is a pretty difficult task.

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English Bed Race The Great Bed Race is held in Knaresborough , Yorshire . The Bed Race was first held in 1966 and now there are similar events in the USA, Germany, New Zealand and elsewhere in the UK. It is a competition over a 2.4 mile course with a number of natural obstacles . And it ends with a swim through the icy waters of the River Nidd. It is great fun, an amazing show and a very serious competition which unites teams against their rivals.

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Conclusion Crazy races and unusual competitions continue to grow in popularity attract participants, cheering spectators and thousand s of TV viewers worldwide some of these events raise money for many charities t hese events offer something for everyone , young and old

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Conclusion People take part in crazy races and unusual competitions for fun and excitement for raising money for charities for becoming famous I think some of them are fun, some are rather good for charities, but people can do without many of these events.

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Bibliography http://www.visitlondon.com/ http://www.worthingbirdman.co.uk/ http://www.2camels.com/world-black-pudding-throwing-championships.php#ixzz2pRxt6o4O http://www.tourism-review.com/top-10-uks-craziest-competitions-for-the-bravest-souls--news2261#HPKRtCcp62jo4lFb.99 http://www.worldgarliceatingcompetition.co.uk/#sthash.JHwDK6vF.dpuf http://www.raceday.co.uk/races/340-london-santa-run https://www.209events.com/uk-running-events/london-santa-run-battersea-park http :// www . xmaspuddingrace . org . uk / London _ Race . html http :// www . travelingmom . com /9- funky - events - worth - seeing - in - england /