On Friday, Larry was an ordinary and unassuming garden snail wandering around a rural backyard. On Saturday, he defeated 134 other snails to be crowned king at the official World Snail Racing Championship in Congham, England.
How did such a simple snail rise beyond his station so quickly and shock the world with his natural talent??? The Eastern Daily Press has the story, and it’s truly an inspiring one. Larry was discovered in the garden of local woman Tara Beasley just the night before the big race—the night before!—but he managed to be brave even in the face of some frightful weather in order to capture the title.
In the words of race organizer Hilary Scase, as told to the Daily Press:
“It was quite a slow time. It was a bit windy and snails don’t like wind, so all times were quite slow.
Tara has taken Larry home and she has treated him to some grapes. She thinks that he managed to win because when she got him out of the garden she sat him on cucumber and she thought that was a good diet.
She is now going to keep him for a bit to spoil him... She was quite overwhelmed when her snail won. She has never been in a snail race before.””
Larry made it through the 13-inch course in 2 minutes and 47 seconds. (The snails race from the center of a circle to the outside.) Quite impressive in light of the whole wind situation, certainly, but nothing compared to the record of 2 minutes set in 1996 by “Archie.”
Enjoy your grapes, Larry. You’ve earned them.