Wacky Races Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wife-Carrying

This annual race draws contestants from all over the world. Legend suggests the race originated from the legacy of a 19th century Finnish robber, Kerkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, who took great pleasure in stealing women from villages by slinging them over his shoulder and running away. The North American championships are held every year on Columbus Day in Newry, Maine. The world championships are held in Sonkajarvi, Finland with the grand prize awarded as the wife's weight in beer.

The objective of the race is pretty simple. Contestants must carry their significant other over a course of 253.5 meters which includes several barriers including a water obstacle. The wife must be a minimum of 49kg, 17 years of age, preferably your own or a neighbor's, and be willing to endure treatment more befitting a bag of potatoes.

Answer: Shopping Cart

The original Idiotarod took place in San Francisco in 1994 and was called the Urban Iditarod. A play on words (named for the famed Alaskan sled race), the Idiotarod has held races in New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Portland, Vancouver, and Toronto. Most races require at least five or six team members, "idiots," to be attached to the shopping cart at all times. One of the most famous editions is the Portland race that regularly features diaper-wearing adult-infants, middle-aged Viking-yuppies, and trident-carrying red devils. Awards are sometimes given but organizers share the philosophy that participation in the shopping cart mayhem is reward enough.

Answer: Wok

The World Wok Racing Championship was first held in November 2003 in Winterberg, Germany. Inspired by a German television show, wok racing became an instant hit and in 2012 experienced its 12th world championship. Three-time Olympic luge champion, Georg Hackl is a legend in the sport of wok racing with ten world championships.

Contested on a bobsled course, participants use ordinary round-bottomed woks from China. The only adaptation is the reinforced pan bottom and the polyurethane edges. Athletes wear ladles on their feet and ice hockey equipment to protect the rest of the body. In order to wok faster, the underside of the pan is heated with a blowlamp. Yep, talk about lighting a fire under your keister.

Answer: Pancake Race

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. Every school-aged child loves "Pancake Day." Aside from the obvious scarfing down of yummy hotcakes, many schools and communities host their own edition of the pancake race. Races are usually run over 50-100m and require participants to flip a pancake in a frying pan while moving at break-neck speed along the track.

Historians believe the tradition began in Olney, England back in 1444 when a housewife, late for church, ran out the door wearing her apron and still carrying a pancake in her frying pan. Yep, the first winner of the International Pancake Race was in fact a woman. Despite this accomplishment, can you believe that it wasn't until 540 years later that they let women run the Olympic marathon?

Answer: Snail

Yep, Zoomer is a legend in the small community of King's Lynn. Six-year old Anton Lucas is the proud owner of the 2011 World Snail Racing champion. Snail racing has been around for many years with the first World Championship contested in Congham, Norfolk in the 1960's. An unoffical world record is held by 1995 champion, "Archie", who completed the marathon course in an arduous two minutes.

The most common competitor is the common garden snail better known as helix aspersa. Competitions are held on a circular track with competitors starting in the middle and having to creep out 13 or 14 inches for the win. Racing numbers are painted on the shells and a large piece of lettuce is awarded to the winner.

Answer: Hot Dogs

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest held annually on July 4th in Coney Island is accepted as the big kahuna in competitive "hot dog" racing. The inaugural race in 1916 was won by James Mullen with 13 hot dogs. Since the early days, things have gotten a little more competitive. New rules give athletes 10 minutes to consume as many hot dogs as possible. Tokeru Kobayashi, the Japanese superstar won six championships from 2001 to 2006. Joey Chestnut won five championships between 2007 and 2011 with a personal best of 68 hot dogs. Now that is someone I would not likely invite to my back-yard barbeque.

Answer: Pumpkins

The Windsor Pumpkin Regatta was founded in 1999 by Danny Dill a breeder of the Atlantic Giant pumpkin. Calling the means of flotation 'fruity' is actually quite correct, on account of the pumpkin being more fruit than vegetable. Competitors carve out the insides of their giant jack o' lantern and then attempt to paddle 800m from start to finish without sinking or taking on too much water.

Historians believe that Wayne Hackney of New Hampshire, in 1996, might have been one of the first expert pumpkin paddlers.

The sport is gaining in popularity with similar regattas being contested in the United States, England, and Germany. Who knew, Cinderella could have gone to the ball in a boat rather than a coach?

Answer: Cheese

People from all over the world descend upon the sleepy village of Brockworth every May with the goal of winning the "Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake Title." At stake is a very large lump of double gloucester cheese and the accompanying bragging rights. From the top of the hill a round of Double Gloucester is given a one second head start before the competitors are cut loose.

The first person to cross the bottom finish line and nab the cheese is declared the winner. A well rolled cheese can reach speeds of over 70mph which is similar speeds to many of the over-zealous participants who spend more time rolling down the hill than running.

The local St. John Ambulance crew circles this spectacular event on its annual calendar. They appreciate the opportunity to practice their first aid skills.

Answer: Bog Snorkelling

The World Bog Snorkelling Championship was first contested in 1985. The competition is held on the August Bank Holiday in the Welsh peat bog of Waen Rhydd near Llanwrtyd. Over 200 racers attend the competition every year. Participants complete two lengths of a 55 meter trench cut into the peat bog. Mandatory equipment includes flippers and snorkel with optional wetsuits being allowed. Conventional arm strokes are not allowed -- not sure if that rules out doggy paddle or not? Since its launch, additions to this fun sport have included bog mountain biking and bog triathlon. My suggestion for a new event -- bog croquet!

Answer: Ostriches

The annual Chandler Ostrich Festival has been recognized as one of the most unique festivals held anywhere in the United States. The main attraction of the event is undoubtedly the ostrich racing. Ostriches are tall, flightless birds with very powerful legs.

They can weigh up to 350 pounds and can run at speeds of 40mph. In South Africa there are even professional ostrich jockeys who make money racing these flightless speedsters. Now pass me a helmet and let's go racing!