First professional bog snorkeller defends title

Not for the faint of heart or faint of smell, bog snorkelling is often considered an acquired taste.

But the wacky challenge, which involves racing through 120 yards of peat bog trench, saw nearly 200 people take part at the annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships at Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys.

Of those competing, bog snorkelling world champion Neil Rutter, 41, secured his sixth record win at the championships and is now celebrating becoming the first professional in the sport.

Equipped with a snorkel and flippers, the two-time cancer survivor, from Bath, previously hung up his flippers in 2023, but said the "bog bug" brought him back.

Rutter first tried the sport back in 2017 while camping in Wales with friends.

Much to his surprise, what started as a spontaneous day out saw him clock up the fastest time and he was awarded the title of world champion.

Since then, he has gone on to win five more times, taking the trophy home again this year, with an impressive time of one minute and 18 seconds.

The teacher puts his success down to having "strong legs" and swears by keeping his arms outstretched in front of him.

"I guess the combination of embracing the wacky bonkersness of the event and having the leg strength and fitness to do well at it has just meant I have kept coming back winning it," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

But there are many methods to flipping through the muddy waters, he said, from "splashy" to "dog paddly" and "leg dominant" and, while powerful legs tend to get top marks for speed, he said it was not the "most spectaular".

With no bogs nearby, Rutter says practising for the championships is somewhat difficult, but he always checks his snorkel isn't leaking and his flippers still fit.

What is bog snorkelling?

Bogs are a wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat.

Peatland makes up an estimated 10% of the UK, more than 11,000 square miles.

The event first began in 1976, 10 years before the first world championship.

Now, people from around the world compete in the 120 yard snorkel in a muddy bog, which takes place in Powys each year.

It is held on a Site of Special Scientific Interest at the Waen Rhydd bog, which is home to protected species like newts, frogs, various plants and the odd otter.

For the rest of the year, it remains a sheep field, with the bog snorkelling trenches fenced off.