Dirty Weekend in the bogs at LLanwrtyd Wells

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Despite heavy rain the 2009 Annual World Bog Snorkeling Championship took place today at Waen Rhydd peat bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells. First held in 1985, takes place annually every August Bank Holiday. Llanwrtyd Wells lays claim to fame as the smallest town in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of spectators and contestants braved the weather. Upwards of 200 people were expected to compete today. The event was sponsored by Rowtrees Randoms and was quite a spectacle. The landscape around the bog usually has one of two weather variations -raining and raining very hard. At the end of the day the contestants were probably drier than the spectators. Several competitors thought it was actually warmer in the bog than standing around on the edge of it.
Essentially it is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog as fast as possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. To speed up the event two identical trenches are used so that contestants can perform side by side. During the contest each snorkeler has to keep their face and mask face down in the bog, they can only look up on a few occasions and that has to be for navigation. The bog water is extremely muddy and clogged with reeds. Competitors have to over 14 years and there is fastest junior, fastest female and fastest male classes are held throughout the day. For locals there are two contests, fastest local junior and fastest local adult. Many are serious competitors and a vast number of international visitors turn up to compete in the Bog Snorkeling as one of those international “things to do before I die” list. Less serious competitors turn up with many versions of fancy dress to the delight of the crowd. There is a prize for the best fancy dress used by a competitor.
One young lady is seen dressed as “Wonder Woman” and another competitor claimed to be a reporter from the Sun wearing a trilby with a press card and was hoping that someone from the Daily Mirror would be there as well.
Julia Galvin the Irish Champion Bog Snorkeler pictured here happily laying in the mud in her wetsuit or “resting”, as she puts it, enjoyed the day and this year has been on international events such as the Australian Bog Snorkeling Championship and Championship Wife Carrying event.
Joanne Pitchforth pictured here in a purple waterproof at last years event created a new world record in 2007 coming in at 1 minute 35:18 seconds, she is also an expert underwater hockey player. Despite the wind, rain and the mud and the ever present smell of decaying vegetation the event has a fascination for so many people worldwide and will continue year upon year. It is certainly one of the more strange events that take place on August Bank Holiday Monday.