The World’s Strangest Race: Runners vs Horses in Wales
Each year, the small Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells captures global attention as it hosts one of sport’s most unusual competitions—where human athletes literally race against horses across challenging countryside terrain.
The Birth of an Unusual Competition
The Man v Horse race began 45 years ago from a simple pub argument. Gordon Green, a local hotel owner, overheard two patrons debating whether a human could outrun a horse over significant distance. Intrigued by the concept, Green organized the first official race in 1980.
That initial 21-mile (approximately 34 km) cross-country race saw the horse triumph, beating the fastest runner by a convincing 43 minutes. Yet public fascination with the event proved so substantial that it became an annual tradition.
25 Years of Equine Dominance
For the first quarter-century of the competition, horses consistently prevailed. While margins sometimes narrowed to mere seconds, the four-legged competitors maintained their winning streak year after year.
Organizers experimented with format changes during this period. In 1985, they allowed cyclists to participate, and in 1989, British cyclist Tim Gould became the first human to defeat the fastest horse. However, cyclists were banned in 1993 due to concerns about wheel damage to forest trails.
The Turning Point: Human Victory at Last
The race’s historic breakthrough came in 2004 when British runner Huw Lobb crossed the finish line in 2 hours 5 minutes, defeating the nearest competitors—rider Zoe White and her horse KBJ—by 2 minutes 17 seconds.
Lobb’s victory earned him the accumulated prize of £25,000 (equivalent to over 1.3 million rubles at 2004 exchange rates). The prize money had been growing annually since the race’s inception, starting at £500 and increasing each time a horse won.
Modern Era: A Changing Balance
Following Lobb’s breakthrough, German runner Florian Holzinger secured another human victory in 2007, outpacing the closest rider by nearly 11 minutes.
Horses regained dominance for the next 12 years, though margins narrowed significantly—in 2018, the winning rider beat the fastest runner by just 23 seconds.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellations in 2020 and 2021, but when racing resumed, the balance had shifted dramatically. Runners have won three of the last four competitions (2022, 2023, and 2025), with 2023 marking another milestone when humans claimed both first and second places.
Prize Structure and Rule Adaptations
The prize money resets to £500 after each human victory, then increases annually when horses win. The 2025 champion runner received £1,000 because a horse had won in 2024.
Notably, since 2025, winning riders also receive compensation—£250 (approximately 27,000 rubles)—recognizing their participation in this unique event.
Safety Measures and Course Details
To ensure safety during the challenging cross-country course, runners start before the horses and must yield right-of-way to riders when overtaken. Organizers periodically adjust the route, which typically covers varied terrain including hills, forests, and streams.
The race continues to draw international competitors and spectators to this small Welsh community, maintaining its status as one of the world’s most fascinating and unconventional sporting events.
What began as a pub debate has evolved into a legendary annual test of human versus equine endurance, where the outcome remains genuinely unpredictable each year.
