Competitors get ready for World Snail Racing Championships in Norfolk

  • The World Snail Racing Championships in King's Lynn in Norfolk in 2023

Dozens of competitors are getting their snails race-ready for the World Snail Racing Championships this weekend.

Organisers say they expect up to 200 entrants for the competition at Grimston Cricket Club in Congham, near King's Lynn in Norfolk, on Saturday.

Some people are said to spend weeks training up the shelled creatures, feeding them with greens and painting their shells so they can be easily spotted.

Others can hire a mollusc from snail master Nicholas Dickinson, whose snail Evie won the trophy last year.

Snail racing in Congham, Norfolk Credit: PA

The molluscs will trail on a table from a small inner circle to a large outer circle 13 inches away.

The winner of each heat will make it to the grand final, with the fastest snail winning a ball of lettuce.

The course is well-watered to ensure damp conditions for the creatures.

The competition began in Congham in the 1960s after founder Tom Elwes witnessed a similar event in France.

In 1995, a snail named Archie set a Guinness World Record of two minutes.

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