[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/vLGVewfpTlE&hl=en&fs=1]
From the the same lunatics who put Llanwrtyd Wells on a very small map with bog snorkeling, comes the Man vs. Horse marathon. It was inspired by a drunken argument over who could run long distances faster. The race is actually shorter than a real marathon22 miles istead of 26.2but it twists and turns over very rough terrain, and competitors claim it’s more physically demanding. The first race occurred in 1981; unsurprisingly, the horse won. After four more one-sided years, the event was opened up to humans on bicycles as well, and in 1989 a British cyclist became the first human to win the event.
A £1,000 prize was donated each year but could only be claimed by a runner. When veteran marathoner Huw Lopp became the first person to beat a horse on foot in 2004, the pot had grown to £25,000. Another human won in 2007, but in 2008 the title went back to the horses.