11 Competitions That Are A Wee Bit Not Normal

Don’t be afraid to get a little dirty.

1. The World Bog Snorkeling Championships

Held annually in Wales, competitors sporting snorkels and flippers swim down and back a 60 yard peat bog trench for a total length of 120 yards.

Image by Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

2. The Dakar Rally

The Dakar Rally is an annual off-road endurance race where specially modified cars, like the MINI seen above, cross dunes, mud, rocks and other extreme natural obstacles.

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3. World Gurning Championship

It’s time to put all your duck face practice to good use. At the World Gurning Championship held annually in Egremont, England, people make distorted facial expressions, or a gurn, while framing their face in a horse collar.

Image by John Li / Getty Images

4. Redneck Games

The Redneck Games, held annually in East Dublin, Georgia, satirize the stereotype given to rednecks and include events such as the mud pit belly flop (seen above) and toilet seat throwing.

Image by Stephen Morton / Getty Images

5. Extreme Ironing

Do you dare to take it up a notch? Extreme ironing challenges participants to go to the most extraordinary lengths to do the relatively simple task of ironing a piece of clothing.

Image by Tim Moran [e-mail] / Rex / Rex USA

6. Gloucester Cheese Roll

Traditionally held for residents of the village of Brockworth in England, the event consists of rolling a round of Double Gloucester cheese down a hill while participants run down the hill chasing after it. Whoever reaches the bottom first wins the race and the cheese.

Image by Scott Barbour / Getty Images

7. Air Guitar World Championship

Part of the annual Oulu Music Video Festival in Oulu, Finland, the Air Guitar World Championship was started originally as a joke, but has since become one of the festival’s main attractions.

Image by David McNew / Getty Images

8. International Birdman

The International Birdman is a competition where human “birdmen” attempt to “fly” off a pier and into the sea with home-made gliders and other sorts of zany creations.

Image by Steve Finn / Getty Images

9. World Russian Egg Roulette championship

In this eggciting (sorry we couldn’t resist) competition, contestants pick eggs from a box of six and take turns smashing them on their heads. The catch? Five eggs are hardboiled and one is not, the first one to be smeared in an eggy mess loses.

Image by Tim Scrivener / Rex / Rex USA

10. Chess Boxing

Brains? Brawn? How about both? Competitors alternate rounds between boxing and playing chess in this battle of wits and strength.

Image by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / Getty Images

11. Wife Carrying Championships

Forget about bringing home the bacon, what about bringing home your wife? In this ultimate test of marriage, husbands race down an obstacle course with their wives in tow.

Image by Amber Waterman / AP

We tip our hats to those who dare to compete differently. MINI. NOT NORMAL.

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cXak5RG5MvY.

©2013 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC.