Il Palio, Siena, Italy
Perhaps the world's most famous horse race sees ten jockeys - each representing a contrada, or district, of Siena - sprinting round the Piazza del Campo in the centre of the city. Head to the winning contrada after the race for a street party to remember. Held on July 2 and August 16 each year.
Entenrennen "duck race", Tübingen, Germany
A race for 7,000 ducks - each one of them yellow and plastic. Buy your ticket before the race and watch your duck bob to victory or obscurity. Held in October.
Cheese Rolling, Gloucestershire, UK
More "cheese-following" than "cheese-rolling": a Gloucester cheese is hurled down a steep hill, and groups of men and women tear after it in turn. The person who gets to the bottom first wins the cheese. Every May.
Wife Carrying, Sonkajärvi, Finland
In this summer race, male competitors race to carry wives along a 250m course - including dry obstacles and one-metre deep water. Drop your wife and incur a 15-second penalty; finish first, and win your weight in beer. Happily for singletons, competitors are allowed to carry someone else's wife.
"Viking run" ice-skating marathon, Stockholm, Sweden
Held every February, this 50-mile race sees thousands of competitors skate from Uppsala to Stockholm, using poles and specially converted cross-country skates.
