ODD SPORTS

Hello ladies and gents this is the viking telling you that today we are talking about

BOG SNORKELLING

Bog snorkelling is a sporting event in which competitors complete, in the shortest time possible, two consecutive lengths of a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. A wetsuit is not compulsory, but is often worn.

The length of the trench is 60 yards (55 m), traversed twice for a course of 120 yards (110 m). The world record was set by Neil Rutter at the Waen Rhydd bog, Llanwrtyd Wells on 26 August 2018 with a time of 1 min 18.81 secs.

History of bog snorkelling

The activity of bog snorkelling was started in 1986 near Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, United Kingdom. It began as a result of an over-the-bar conversation in The Neuadd Arms between proprietor Gordon Green and a few regulars.

World Bog Snorkelling Championship

The World Bog Snorkelling Championship, first held in 1985, takes place every August Bank Holiday in the dense Waen Rhydd peat bog, near Llanwrtyd Wells in mid Wales.

At the 2016 Irish Bog Snorkelling Championship Paddy Lambe won with a time of 1:19, at the time a new world record for bog snorkelling. This event also saw the first time a brother and sister win a national championship in the same year when Moira Lambe, Paddy's sister, won the ladies' event.

Other bog snorkelling events take place, particularly in Wales, but also in Australia, Ireland, and Sweden. Associated events include mountain bike bog snorkelling where competitors must ride through the bog on specially prepared mountain bikes, and the Bog Snorkelling Triathlon, which consists of a 60-yard (110 metre) snorkel, a 12-mile (31 kilometre) bike ride and an 8-mile run.

Proceeds from the World Championship go to a local charity each year. Past recipients include the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (2005) and the Motor Neurone Association (2006). The 2006 charity was chosen in memory of the Green Events treasurer, Ron Skilton, who died in December 2005.

And as always have a chilled day from the viking.