Paddlers enjoy the fruits of their labour
Lohmar – With a look of apprehension, a blonde woman clad in a wetsuit wobbles her way onto a lake in western Germany in a huge, hollowed-out fruit.
Paddle held aloft, she’s a contestant in the Krewelshofer lake’s annual pumpkin race, held for the third time on Wednesday over a 35-metre course.
Grown specially for the race, the pumpkins must weigh at least 250 kilogrammes and, to minimise the risk of capsizing, more for heavier participants.
“It was hard fighting against the wind to get anywhere, but when you are in the groove, it works.
“I imagined it would be more difficult,” said competitor Mailin Matuschek.
“I actually thought that after a few metres you would fall in,” chimed in her sister Jana-Mai.
The fastest racers in six categories get €200 in prize money (about R3 400), or €300 if they paddled in their own pumpkins – enough to buy a boat for next year.