Oh yeah, that tops my list of things I simply have to try, snorkelling in a peat bog!!!
This August bank holiday Monday saw the annual lunacy that is the World Bog Snorkelling Championships. Held in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, Britain's smallest town has been hosting the event since 1985. This year over 150 competitors braved the wet and windy conditions (to my mind the bad weather was the least of their worries when about to dive into a stinking bog!) to swim two lengths of the 55 metre lane cut into the Welsh peat bog. Participants wear a snorkel, goggles and flippers. Wet suits are optional. Perhaps if they were aware of the fact that a peat bog consists of rotting vegetation and emits a significant amount of methane they might find a full hazmat suit more appropriate.
According to legend the sport came about one drunken evening in Gloucester, England, in 1976, when a crowd of fans drank the local pub dry after an earlier cricket match. Keen to relocate to the neighbouring village's pub to drink them dry too the bunch of pissheads sought out the shortest route there. this was achieved by swimming the bog. The rest is history...
In the men's event the winner was the reigning World Champ Connor Murphy, with the Junior World Champion from 2008, Laura Smith taking the women's event. The bog snorkelling world record still stands to Joanne Pitchforth of West Yorkshire with a time of 1 min 35.18s. Hmmm, impressive... Joanne puts her world beating time down to her expert technique. "So many people just throw themselves in and hope for the best, but my experience in underwater hockey means I keep my head up and hands out in front as well as balancing to get my way across" she told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Not so sure about expert technique, just sounds like doggy paddle to me?
For those of you now champing at the bit to throw yourself down the nearest bog, you might also be interested in Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling and Bog Snorkelling Triathlon. Ooooh, pass me that wetsuit....