The World Bog Snorkelling Championship, first held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday at the dense Waen Rhydd peat bog, near Llanwrtyd Wells in mid Wales. Andrew Holmes is the current world record holder with a time of 84 seconds. As of 2012, Richard Addis is the current men's champion with a time of 1 min 26.97 s, while Dineka Maguire is the current women's and junior champion, setting a new world record time for both categories of 1 min 26.97.
The event now attracts more than 200 entrants each year and in recent years has been sponsored by Fun Swim Shop. The 2007 and 2008 events were not sponsored; the previous sponsor was London-based IT consultancy company SPMK in 2006. The 2012 event was sponsored by Paddy Power.
Other bog snorkelling events take place, particularly in Wales (but also in Australia, the island of Ireland and Sweden). Associated events include the associated mountain bike bog snorkelling (where competitors must ride through the bog on specially prepared mountain bikes), and the Bog Snorkelling Triathlon.
Proceeds from the championship go to a local charity each year. Charities 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.
Read more about this topic: Bog Snorkelling
Famous quotes containing the words world and/or bog:
“The theory [before the twentieth century] ... was that all the jobs in the world belonged by right to men, and that only men were by nature entitled to wages. If a woman earned money, outside domestic service, it was because some misfortune had deprived her of masculine protection.”
—Rheta Childe Dorr (1866–1948)
“Our Bog is dood, our Bog is dood,
They lisped in accents mild,
But when I asked them to explain
They grew a little wild.”
—Stevie Smith (1902–1971)