Potato race

Potato races of both types were most popular in Australia, England, Scotland, the United States of America and Wales.

Potato races were commonly held at community events such as county fairs, rodeos, picnics, and track and field meets from at least the middle of the 19th century until approximately the 1930s.

[1][2][3] The state fair of Wisconsin advertised a potato race "that beats Base Ball all hollow" in 1869, although again there was no description of the rules.

[4] In September 1871, newspapers in a number of US states reprinted a report from the Boston Advertiser which detailed an on-foot potato race that had taken place in East Wilton, New Hampshire, with many remarking that such events were becoming fashionable.

[12] A 1913 report in the San Francisco Chronicle clearly describes a team-based potato race taking place at a Mardi Gras celebration in Salinas, California, calling it a "new riding stunt".

[16] Informal on-foot potato races for children are still featured as a means of entertainment at many local celebrations and events in the United States.

[17][18] Mounted potato races are still used as a part of equestrian gymkhana events for youth today, albeit in a more structured and form that lacks the violence of the team-based rodeo version.

[19] Potato races run on foot were commonly held for children as playground games and during physical education classes in schools.

[29] A large picnic in Radford, England, in 1908 featured a bicycle potato race whose riders were young women.

[16] Physical violence often ensued; the autobiography of cowboy Harry Arthur Gant describes one team race at a Frontier Days event in 1909 that became so violent that the judges were forced to halt the competition in the middle.

[33] The Courier-Journal noted that violent tactics such as pulling riders off their horses were considered acceptable, and that "biting is about the only thing that is barred.