A report on the Valentine´s Wellie Boot Race in Switzerland, the Heart of Europe.

A Race with  a View: Canadian wellie racer Dave Willhms took the great shot below.

...So now you can see the amazing view of the Säntis Mountain in the Alps we enjoyed as we raced around in our wellies on a dairy farm in Moos, St. Gallan.
(If you don´t know what I am talking about, go back to the blog posting in late Janary, where you can read all about the prepations for the Valentine Wellie Race in the heart of Europe.)

Olympic medals are all very fine.  But, if you really want to get the best out of wellie race participants – just hang out the big bag of Taytos.  – That will be sure to get them running at top speeds.

And they´re off!

Enough with The 6 Nations Championship - We had 7 nations represented out at the wellie race starting line, some of whom are shown here. They represent: Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan Switzerland.

A young Clare representative below proudly carries the flag on her buggy.  She is flanked by 3 yr old Italien Roberto who runs bravely into the wind to over take the flag carrying buggy baby.

Now your one in the nice red jacket above looks all fine and innocent and what not, but I don´t know; security was so busy looking after the Taytos, that no one noticed when she was no sooner past the finishing line, that she disappeared – and so did the whole box of Barrys Tea!

Swiss dairy farmer Guido can put on a Kilkenny Team shirt, but it won´t make a cat out of him. 

Clare born wife Ann with the  Swiss flag behind him appears to agree.

An exciting moment....
Lining up for the prize giving.

Andrew from Canada was the first home, not bad for a 12 year old competing against men in their wellies.

Sister Naomi, 9,  on the right, also won a bag of Taytos.  Participants came from places as diverse as: Canada, Ireland, Italy, China and Switzerland, but all had fun in their wellies munching on their bag a´Taytos.

Triumph!

Clearly the weeks of practice running up and down the Alps in her wellies paid off, as a glowing Mary proudly holds up her bag of Taytos.  

Happily sister Martina earned a bag of Taytos too after coming in second.

                 



The first time…

Roberto´s endurance paid off!  He got his Taytos.

See here where he savors the anticipation of opening his very first bag of Tatyos ever.

It´s amazing what you can get away with when you look this cute and innocent; no one checked under my blanket… and I have no wellies on.  Tee hee hee! 

First Class Service.

We are the only wellie race in the whole world where there is first class after care service:

All wellies are cleaned and polished and ready for the Disco next Saturday night!

Alice and several of her sisters and cousins came out of their barn to have a look at us running.  

Guido, Swiss dairy farmer and Kilkenny man wanna be, had to give them an extra feed; looking at all that activity on a cold winters day in the Alps makes a cow hungry!

Thanks to Guido´s wife Ann we humans got very well fed too!

Now to those that don´t know better, the following pictures may look like there are a lot of people who don´t know whether they are coming or going, and they keep running circles around each other not getting there either. But, of course we in Ireland know that to be...

...the Siege of Ennis!

Yes, it being a Valentine´s Wellie Race, what better to celebrate the day of romance, than dancing the Siege.  In wellies of course!

And  I am sure you will agree it is not a bad turn at all - especially when you consider only two people dancing here had ever danced the Siege of Ennis before.

The dancing ended with a ´Dance around the Broom` from mother daughter duo Ann and Mary.  A dance better known in West Clare than in Moos - until now that is.  

The afternoon ended with a presentation to Guido and Ann Kretz for their warm welcome to us.  

Not to mention the great hearty meal fit for a hoard of Alpine Wellie Racers.  

And a diverse lot of wellie racers we were too coming from as far a field as Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Kilkenny and all the way from Clare there was Helen and Kevin and their three under 3 God bless them!

A great day was had by humans - and cows alike!

So, as we all headed off home to nurse our blisters and have a nap, Guido and Ann did what all good dairy farmers do at 5:00 p.m.   

They went off to milk the cows!

P.S.  Dave from Canada was on hand with his camera.  You can link to his photos and videos here:  https://picasaweb.google.com/116376007226199828239/WellieRacing?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWTgP-E0_jVRg