Snails slug it out at racing championship

The race starter stood up and shouted: “Ready, steady, slow!” The crowd cheered, but the competitors remained stuck at the starting line, a circle in this case. Welcome to the world snail racing championship.

More than 150 snails took part in the annual event, held at a summer fete in Norfolk, eastern England on Saturday, where a silver tankard stuffed with lettuce leaves was the prize.

The snails are placed on a special damp cloth marked with three concentric circles and the creatures race 13 inches to the outer ring. “We have got training slopes. We look at diet, we are drug compliant as well. It is the whole thing when you look at elite sports,” snail racer John McClean said

The competition has been held since the 1960s with each race lasting several minutes.

The winner was a snail called Hosta owned by Jo Waterfield from Grimston.

“I pulled him out this morning and told him if he didn't win I would squash him,” Ms. Waterfield said.