How T-rex racing has become a global feel-good phenomenon
Source: TikTok/ABC News US
What started as a team-building exercise for an American pest control company has morphed into a global phenomenon as runners around the world embrace T-rex racing.
The latest event was held this week at the home of the “sport” – Washington state’s Emerald Downs racetrack.
Competitors dressed in colourful, inflatable dinosaur costumes to compete in men’s, women’s, and children’s races, as well as the Dinosaur Dinosaurs for over 50s, in what was hailed as the T-Rex World Championship.
Video of the races has been seen millions of times on social media. Among the highlights are the heroics of Linsey Lovrovich, who won the women’s final, and Andrew Stuber, who claimed the men’s race “by a snout”.
T-Rex racing first came to the wider public’s attention when footage of the 2019 edition of the annual event was shared on Facebook. It soon garnered more than 20 million views.
That race featured just over 30 runners from local business Tri-Guard Pest Control in its annual team-building event.
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At the time, Emerald Downs president Phil Ziegler told USA Today that while the first event was just for the pest control business, he’d already had dozens of inquiries about how to enter the competition.
The track now has a dedicated web page selling tickets to the event and inviting participants, who can buy costumes on site if needed.
But while Emerald Downs may be the home of T-Rex racing, it by no means claims a monopoly on the phenomenon.
World expansion
The Japanese, in particular, have embraced the sport, with dozens of races held at venues across the country.
This year’s event drew more than 500 competitors to the city of Funabashi.
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Naoki Kawamoto, founder of the Tyrannosaurus Race Daisen, Japan’s first organised event in 2022, said Japanese competitors enjoyed the opportunity to shrug off their inhibitions.
“Runners can do things they can’t do as humans, if they are all tyrannosauruses nothing is shameful,” Kawamoto said.
Despite the Japanese obsession, the Isle of Man in Britain claims a dubious hold on the participation record for T-rex racing, with more than 500 runners (presumably more than at Funabashi) entering last year’s T-Rex Thunder Run.
Held as a fundraiser, the event has a new name for the August 2025 edition – T-Fest. The Isle of Man Today newspaper reports that organisers hope to make it “the world’s largest (unofficial) T-rex race”.
Nup to the Cup
Of course, sports-obsessed Australia is no stranger to T-rex racing, but here it takes on a more virtuous slant.
Many events are held to coincide with the horse racing’s Spring Carnival as a protest against the sport.
Australian T-rex races are often a protest against horse racing.
In the past, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses have organised T-rex races at Flemington Racecourse to encourage a boycott of the Melbourne Cup as part of their Nup to the Cup campaign.
As PETA’s Emily Rice said after the 2022 event, the “dinosaur dash proves you can have fun by cheering on willing participants who enjoy themselves. No one needs to suffer for entertainment”.
Canberra’s Little Oak Farm Animal Sanctuary, which offers refuge to former racehorses and farm animals, holds the annual Compassion Stakes as part of the protest.
