Throughout their history the Welsh have shown themselves to be a proud and determined nation and if you have watched them play rugby, their national sport, you will also know how competitive they can be. So, it comes as no surprise that after a few pints in a bar in Llanwrtyd Wells, a group of friends set a daring bet that would lead to a world championship. The bet was to see who could swim the bog the fastest. The popularity of which has now turned this into a yearly Welsh swimming race.
The event takes place every year in August and people come from far and wide to swim 2 laps of the 180 foot (54.864 metres) lane that is carved into the Waen Rhydd peat bog. The event sees many elaborate and crazy costumes, but the serious contenders stick to their wet suits and flippers. Apart from raising awareness about the importance of the bog, the day is fun filled but ultimately they want to snatch the world record which is presently held by Neil Rutter 1 min 18:81 seconds for the men’s record and Kirsty Johnson with a record swim of 1 min and 22:56 seconds for the women’s heat.
When a boggling idea becomes a bog event!!!
