Snails race, one foot at a time, in celebration of Folsom’s 80th birthday
Folsom celebrated its 80th birthday Saturday, bringing an old tradition to Folsom City Lions Park.
The Great Folsom Snail Race was first held in 1981, according to the city’s website, and continued through the 1980s and 1990s.
Dressed in a referee uniform was Tom Handy, the former president of the Folsom Athletic Association, which ran the event in the 1990s. Folsom was a lot smaller back when Handy was running the show, and he said it’s nice to see the tradition welcomed back.
“Everybody that was anybody was here,” he said of the previous snail races. “It’s nice to see everybody here (again).”
About 20 races took place Saturday, according to Handy, with upwards of nine racers per race. Racers place their snail at the bottom of a foot-long pole. The snail who reaches the top first is crowned the winner.
When the Great Folsom Snail Race first started, snails were expected to race along poles, but the next year organizers discovered snails preferred to climb up the poles.
Some racers, such as Mayor Justin Raithel, who made it to the semifinals in his open class division, enticed their snails with lettuce.
However, Raithel said his efforts were cut short in the semifinals where he finished fourth, just missing the cut to move onto the finals.
“My snail did great,” Raithel said. “He was very motivated by the lettuce. I hope he does better next year.”
One snail in particular impressed Handy, as he said the snail finished in less than two minutes. The second-place snail in that race took about three times as long.
