JOYCE — It doesn’t get more exciting than this.
Slug-racing enthusiasts once again crowded around the race track to cheer on their favorite slugs at the eighth annual Extreme Slug Racing event Saturday in Joyce.
The event, hosted by the Joyce Family Kitchen, raised funds for Clallam County Fire Protection District No. 4 and has quickly become a favorite of Joyce Daze.
Three races are held, each with a field of 12 competitors, with the first slug to cross the finish line moving on to the next round.
In a surprising twist, this year’s first heat was taken in a record-breaking time of just under four minutes and was won — not by a slug — but by a tiny snail named Airstream for the home she carries on her back.
Event organizers said the snail was allowed to enter based on the belief that it identified as a slug, and was therefore eligible to compete against the much bigger contestants.
The exhausted mollusk failed to keep pace in the second heat, however, quickly falling behind a larger and faster banana slug, Gary’s Fury, who outpaced the shelled runner right out of the gate.
A leopard slug, Welcome Inn, also made the competition close, narrowly missing victory in round two.
The third and final round went to Gary’s Fury once again, as the slug established the lead out of the gate.
Gary’s Fury is owned and trained by Dakota Koepp of Joyce. Koepp has a long history of breeding some of Extreme Slug Racing’s fastest slugs in recent years.
This year’s Extreme Slug racing event raised more than $500 for Fire District No. 4 and was sponsored by Bedford’s Sodas, Fogtown Coffee Bar, Joyce Family Kitchen, Vivian Hansen and Wilder Auto & RV.
No slugs are harmed in the race event and all were returned safely to their natural environment.
