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'Ready, steady, slow!' Snails prepare for world championship
Image source, Getty Images
When it comes to any type of racing, whether it's on sports day or competing with friends, the goal is to be as speedy as possible.
But what happens when the competitors actually go 'at a snail's pace'?
Well people in Norfolk are about to find out as they get ready for the Snail Racing World Championships this weekend.
They'll be putting their best shells forward to show who is the fastest-moving mollusc.
Image source, Ian Hayne
How does snail racing work?
The annual Snail Racing World Championships started in the small village of Congham, Norfolk in the 1960s.
The snail master starts the races by shouting: "Ready, steady, SLOW!", and off dash the snails.
The shelled creatures compete across a round table, trailing a slow course between a small red inner circle to a large black outer circle.
The winner of each heat will make it to the grand final.
The snail master keeps the course "well-watered" as the molluscs like damp conditions.
While some might think it's easy to keep track of the super slow competitors, the organisers say they find some snails "liked to cheat" and "try to hitch a ride on the back of others."
This time around 200 entrants are expected to compete for a "very juicy bunch of Romaine lettuce".
How do you train a snail?
Image source, Getty Images
Organisers say to train snails you need to feed them well leading up to the competition.
They need something green like lettuce or cucumber that's "good for them to gorge on."
Some people spend weeks preparing for the event and paint their snails' shells so they can be easily spotted as they slither along the 13.5-inch course.
Owners can dress up and can give their snails names like, Speedy or Zoomer.
Snail master Nicholas Dickinson said: "We have a lot of snails in our own stable, which we make available for hire so anyone can enter."
Nicholas says his favourite name from a few years ago was "Uslime Bolt."
Who is the fastest-moving snail?
Image source, Ian Haynes
The world record stands at two minutes over the 13 inches.
It was set in 1995 by a snail called Archie who, 29 years later, still proves that slow and steady wins the race.