World Coal Carrying Championship

Ginge Fullen

Although not what most of you may think of as a typical extreme sport, nevertheless it is an extremely difficult one. The Championship take place on Easter Monday each year at the small village of Gawthorp near Ossett in West Yorkshire. The race itself is held over a distance of 1012 metres and of course involves carrying a standard hundredweight sack of coal.

For those of us who are too young to remember coal fires and coal deliveries or have long since made the transition to central heating, a hundredweight sack of coal is f   king heavy, 112lbs. F   king heavy to be exact.

A limited entry of thirty people is accepted for the event although they cannot always find thirty people mad enough to take up the challenge. No pre trial, dope test or entry fees are needed; just contact the organisers a few weeks before to book your place and then, full of enthusiasm, turn up on the morning of the race at the starting point, the Royal Oak Pub.

That’s what I did, except my enthusiasm waned a little when I overheard some of the locals who enter every year discussing how their training had been going and what tactics to use in the race. Especially as I am local to the area I did not want to jump in feet first and say “Well excuse me but I have never even seen a sack of coal before.”

Now you may say that a sack of coal is a sack of coal and it matters not how you carry it. True, but as I was the smallest man in the field I needed all the help and advice I could get and these coal miners and big rugby playing types seemed to know what they were talking about. The idea is to get the sack high up on your neck and across your shoulders. Also get a good grip on two of the corners and get comfortable from the start (their words). If you drop the sack experience has shown that it is nearly impossible to pick it up on your own and be able to carry on with the race . As far as the tactics go the only advice is not to go too fast at the beginning and save some energy for the “hill”. I had walked the course and had not noticed much of a hill but it seemed sensible enough to pace oneself a little at the beginning, especially on your first run.

When the start comes the sacks are loaded from the back of a lorry straight onto your shoulders. They load all the competitors as quickly as possible and start you as soon as the last person has his sack so as not to keep you waiting too long. Some of the locals and the World Record Holder sprint off. Not that you can seem much but your feet as the sack is pressing your head down.

I did not think that a thousand metres was a long way until I had a sack of coal with me. At about 500mts your lungs start working overtime and your legs don’t want to work at all. Then you meet the hill. The hill is not a steep hill, nor is it a long hill. Normally it would be barely noticeable, normally it would be a pleasant incline. I even like hills but not Easter Monday whilst carrying 112lbs. At this stage a few people drop out and no matter how much cheering from the crowd they cannot carry on, most of them unable to pick the sack back up.

The World Record Holder storms home in little over four minutes; the record time is a phenomenal time of four minutes and six seconds. With legs barely able to keep a shuffling run together and in severe danger of being flattened under the weight of the sack like a cartoon character I reach the village cross which marks the finish and gratefully three down my sack of coal. I finished in around five minutes in fourteenth place, happy I have ticked off the World Coal Carrying Championship in the task book of life and will not have to do it again. For your trouble you get a free tee shirt and a sore neck.

Now the World Coal Carrying Chamnpionship may not be in the next Olympic Games but it’s a good buzz entering a world championship, no matter how obscure an even it is. I also have great satisfaction that Seb Coe or Steve Ovett would probably not even be able to pick up the sack of coal let alone run the distance with it.

The whole event is well organised and receives a good crowd and even the local Yorkshire lads will help out southerners who dare come up north and challenge them, safe in the knowledge that it is as hard as it looks.

There is a woman’s event over the same distance but carrying only 50lbs in weight. This race had just eight entrants last year and so needs a little more support for those who feel up to it. Paul Hitch organises both events and can be contacted on 01924 273883.

The only complaint I would have about the race is that you are running away from the Pub. Although some may argue that they need a beer or two before they even start the race. Who am I to argue with that.