Turtle Racing - History

History

Turtle racing initially became a popular pastime in The Bahamas in the early 20th century. The earliest known turtle race to occur in the United States took place in Chicago in 1902. Dubbed "The Strangest Race Ever Run" by the Chicago Daily Tribune, seven turtles raced across a lawn while being ridden by small children. Although spectators attempted to lure them toward a finish line with cabbages, they were not able to coax the turtles to move in a straight line. A turtle race that took place in 1911 gained notoriety due to the participation of several celebrities, including playwright George Ade and former Massachusetts Governor Ebenezer Sumner Draper, who organized a race between two large turtles while passengers on a Caribbean cruise. The next early turtle race to occur in the United States took place in Miami Beach in 1921. This event saw Loggerhead sea turtles racing in a pool. Another early American turtle race was started in the 1920s at the 101 Ranch in Kay County, Oklahoma and was held annually until it stopped in 1931 due to the Great Depression. In 1928, turtle racing was introduced to Hawaii by a man who brought thirty two "racing turtles" there from San Francisco.

Turtle racing has since became popular in Canada. Boissevain, Manitoba, located near Turtle Mountain, began hosting the Canadian Turtle Derby in 1972. The Canadian Turtle Derby was initially a private race among several local turtle owners. It soon grew in popularity and began to feature parimutuel betting. Molson donated an electric starting gate to the event, which they claimed was the first electric starting gate to be used in a turtle race. Although there were just 83 turtles in the 1972 event, the field swelled to 447 turtles by 1983. The race takes place in a 15-metre (49 ft) circle. Other festivals around Canada host races in which the top turtles qualify to represent their city in the Canadian Turtle Derby. Boissevain is now host to a turtle racing hall of fame and a large statue of a racing turtle. Initially crowning the Canadian Champion Turtle at the event, in 1974 they invited a top American turtle to the event to race the Canadian winner. Several thousand people attended the final race in the competition. Although the race was initially close, the Canadian turtle was victorious after the American turtle fell asleep halfway through the race.

Turtle racing has also been popular among the British, as well. Members of the British army held turtle races on the foothills of Mount Olympus while stationed there after World War II. In the 1970s, a British organization known as the New World International Turtle Track Commission began hosting a world championship event. The 1974 event saw attendees from nine countries bring over two hundred turtles to the competition. The championship was rocked by a scandal, however, after it was discovered that one turtle had wheels from a toy car taped to its shell. The organizer of the event later lamented that this scandal occurred just as "Turtle racing stood on the verge of being a mass sport.

In 2007 Conservation International organized what they billed as the "Great Turtle Race". In order to raise awareness for the plight of the endangered leatherback turtle. They tagged several turtles in Costa Rica with satellite tracking tag before the turtles began their annual migration to the Galapagos Islands. The first turtle to arrive at the islands was deemed the winner. Celebrity sponsors, including Stephen Colbert, paid a $25,000 donation to conservation organizations for the right to sponsor a turtle. Swimming at approximately 4 mph (6 km/h), they completed the 500-mile (800 km) course in two weeks. In 2009 National Geographic and Conservation International held the race again, tracking turtles migrating from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean.

The Minnesota Legislature has declared Longville, Minnesota the "Turtle Racing Capital of the World". They conferred this honor on Longville because it has held turtle races on its Main Street each summer since the nineteen fifties. The title has not gained international recognition, however.