TheViewNationalExpressAutumn2016 - 44


The
yolk's
on you

EGG ON YOUR FACE
The World Egg Throwing
Championships is held in the
ancient village of Swaton,
Lincolnshire, which has been
around so long it is mentioned
in the Domesday Book in 1068.
But why the eggs? In 1322,
nearly 700 years ago, a newly
appointed Abbot was the only
person to own chickens.
To lure his peasants to
church he would give each
attendee one egg. One year the
River Eau flooded, preventing
people getting to church, so
the monks hurled the eggs
over to the waiting peasants.
Well, who wouldn't?
From this humble start, the
sport of egg throwing thrived
and has been played in the
village ever since. There are
several categories including
target throwing with accuracy,
Egg Roulette (where only one
out of six eggs is raw - and
you have to smash them
against your face) and egg
throwing between two people.
But who clears up?
The 2017 event is in June.
Clear your diary now! Adults
£4, Children £2. Family tickets
and concessions are available.
eggthrowing.com

SLEEP DEPRIVED
Celebrating its 50th anniversary
this year, Knaresborough Bed
Race is a true spectacle of British
ridiculousness that competitors
take alarmingly seriously.
Dressing up is part of the
fun (there's a Best Dressed
Team prize) but essentially it
is a gruelling 2.4 mile obstacle
race where a team of six takes
one person on a bed-type
contraption, through water, up
and down steep hills and over
cobbled stones. The 90 teams are
against the clock and the fastest
have completed the race in under

HORSING AROUND
Could a man ever beat a horse
in a running race? Overhearing
a conversation on the subject in
his Welsh pub in 1980, Gordon
Green decided to put it to the
test - and the Man versus Horse
Marathon was born.
It took 25 years before a
man won. In 2004, Huw Lobb
finished the 35km (22 miles)
course in two hours and five
minutes, beating the fastest
horse by two minutes. His feat
was repeated two years later by
Florien Holtinger, but the horse
has remained unbeaten since.
It's still popular though. The
2013 race attracted an entry of
65 horses, with 44 completing
the course, enabling it to lay
claim to being 'the world's
largest horse race'.
This unique event takes place
in June 2017 and is free to watch.
green-events.co.uk/events

44

13 minutes so you have to be
seriously fit to take part.
Local handymen and dressmakers get drafted in to decorate
the beds and dress the runners,
while hundreds join the parade
alongside bed racers, marching
bands and dance groups.
The spectacle is well worth
making the trip to this beautiful
Yorkshire town for - along with
30,000 other spectators! Held on
the second Saturday in June, it's
free to watch and has to be seen
to be believed.
bedrace.co.uk

Former
British fell
running champion
Mark Croasdale has been
fastest human six times
- but never outrun
the horse.
http://bedrace.co.uk http://www.eggthrowing.com http://green-events.co.uk/events
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