Colorado Wants State Sport: Donkey Racing

Pack burro racers’ task is straightforward, but it’s not easy: They must coax, push, and pull a donkey through the Colorado mountains as quickly as possible. Now, competitors want some recognition for their efforts, the Wall Street Journal reports. They’re calling for donkey racing to become the Colorado’s official sport, because, they say, it’s the only one indigenous to the state. Plus, official status “would make me seem less crazy,” says a fan.

Though the sport remains on the “fringe,” as a lawmaker puts it, its participants can make a lot of noise. They’ve started petitions, sent emails to state legislators, and put their donkeys on parade in an effort to see their sport gain official recognition. It’s already a part of state history, inspired by gold prospectors who rushed their donkeys into town to register new finds. Besides that, it’s just fun, say competitors. “Feeling the sweat and the dust, smelling the donkey next to me—it makes me feel alive,” says one. (More Colorado stories.)