A traditional Australian cockroach race (courtesy of Huff Post Australia).
As someone who lived in the South for over 10 years, it was hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to spend enough time with roaches to race them. And then I remembered that I used to race snails from my grandma’s garden for fun. Do not ask me what happened to the losers.
As humans, we will put anything on a track and race it for fun. It’s instinctual. Putting bets on whatever it is that’s moving? Even better!
The history of cockroach racing started in Australia but can be found in other countries, like the United States. How did it all begin? Keep reading to find out!
Where The Cockroach Races Started
It all began on Australia Day, the 26th of January, 1982. The first ever cockroach race was at the Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane, Queensland. The parking lot more specifically.
Two blokes argued that their suburb’s cockroaches were the fastest in Brisbane. Neither gentleman could agree, and so they had to test their claims in a parking lot.
Ever since then, the tradition has caught on, and annual cockroach races occur in Australia.
The Modern Day Cockroach Race
If you’re in Australia, you won’t see two men in a parking lot three beers in and arguing over the speed of their suburban roaches anymore. The races of today are organized. Sophisticated, even.
After all, this is “the greatest gathering of thoroughbred cockroaches in the world.” There are seven events throughout Australia, with the main one called the “Gold Cup Event” at the Story Bridge Hotel.
get eaten.
At the Gold Cup event, the arena is a 20-foot ring. The contestants are kept in glass bottles and are released into the middle of the ring by trained professionals. Whoever makes it to the outside of the ring first wins.
A human participant can either buy a trained roach at the race or train their own. Many individuals have their own unique training methods. Chilling roaches on ice the morning of the race is one tactic; others swear by a dinner of beer the night before the race. There is an entry fee, and all proceeds are donated to charity.
The Cocky Hall Of Fame
Winners are automatically inducted into the Gold Cup Event Hall of Fame. Some names of the cockroach greats are: Soft Cocky (the winner of the 1982 race), Cocky Dundee, Guns and Roaches, Kanye Pest, and Drain Lover.
Cockroaches deserve the praise. These creepy crawlies can move up to 50 body lengths per second, which would be equivalent to a human running at 200 MPH. They can’t rely on their wings either; any flying is instant disqualification.
Things Are Different In Karratha
In the city of Karratha in the Pilbara region, they raised the ante on their annual cockroach races a bit. Not only does the winner get $1,500 but also a chance to eat the winning roach, which is an offer some people take up. Is that really winning?
The race is a bit different, too. They have 10 races with six teams up against each other, with each one getting a separate lane. The top 10 finalists are put into two semi-final races, and the three fastest from there are competing to be eaten.
Mr. Shane Harris has been running these races for years and has some keen insight on what makes a cockroach great:
“It’s just luck it really is. That’s the beauty about it, there’s no secret to it, some of the little ones run fast, some of the big ones run fast, some don’t run at all.”
United States Races
The United States has had some one-off events like the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s race. Four roaches were competing, and they have some fantastic profiles. Each cockroach has a nickname like “The Flash,” and each roach’s favorite food, hobby, and secret technique are listed out. The Flash loves fruit salad and gardening, and their secret technique is to meditate for 30 minutes before every race.
Not every roach is as healthy. Speedy likes fudge brownies. Some roaches also have more dangerous hobbies, Supersonic for example enjoys white-water rafting in his spare time. Carnegie outdid themselves with the background on the athletes.
The New Jersey Pest Management Association has a derby for each presidential race. They glue the face of the president onto the roach, and whichever roach gets to the end fastest is the candidate who will win.
As of 2012, they had done 15 presidential cockroach derbies, and the roaches had an 84% prediction rate. It’s likely lower now since they were wrong in that particular race.
Which Bug Is Next?
Purdue has an annual Bug Bowl (30 years and counting as of 2021), and they spit crickets. This sport has been a part of the Bowl since 1997. Now that I won’t likely be writing about.
If you enjoy reading stories written by one of the more eccentric sports writers of our time, look at my other articles here.
