The centuries-old annual cheese rolling contes is one of quite a few wacky races taking place in the UK every year.

Competitors in this year’s cheese-rolling competition ran, slid and tumbled down the near-vertical incline in an effort to catch up with a 7lb wheel of Double Gloucester.

The notoriously dangerous contest attracts participants all over the world and consistently makes headlines as one of Britain’s ongoing traditions.

Here are a few more bizarrely spectacular contests taking place in the UK every year.

Bog Snorkeling

Bog Snorkeling is a contest which takes place in Wales every August bank holiday. While it originated in Wales in the 1970s, the guaranteed mud-filled event now also takes place in different parts of the world.

It involves contestants equipping themselves with a snorkel and flippers to get through a 55m trench cut through a peat bog.

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The winner will have to swim the distance twice in the shortest time possible, depending solely on their flippers as no other traditional swimming technique is admissible.

Wife-carrying competition

Hailing from a Finnish tradition, the UK wife-carrying race has been running on a regular annual basis since 2008.

According to Trionium, the organisation behind the event, the contest involves running a “very tough” 380m-course with males or females carrying a “wife”.

The “wife” can be either male or female and does not necessarily have to be the carrier’s spouse.

It is mandatory, however, that they are above the age of 18 and weigh at least 50kg, with anyone below the limit having to wear a rucksack with flour or similar items to get to the minimum weight.

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The winners will be the couple who get over the finish line first.

Snail racing

The annual Snail Racing World Championships started in Congham, Norfolk in the 1960s after its founder witnessed the competition in France.

It sees the Snail Master kicking off the race by shouting: “Ready, Steady, Slow!”

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The snails, who are usually named by their owners, all start in one circle and timed on how long it takes them to reach an outer circle, which is 13 inches away.

The current world record stands at two minutes.

Hurling the Silver Ball

St Ives has been keeping alive the Hurling the Silver Ball event, which according to the town council is at least 1,000 years old.

It sees the mayor hurling a silver ball into a crowd for children and teenagers to catch and keep possession of it as they run around the town.

The child who still holds the ball as the clock strikes noon will meet the mayor to receive their reward.

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