THE INTERNATIONAL CORGI RACE CAUSES CUTENESS OVERLOAD IN LITHUANIA
Thousands of people gathered this weekend in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius to watch teams of corgis compete in an international race. The adorable Welsh corgis, widely known for their association with the British royal family, are in fact a breed of passionate racers.
At least that's what the 120 teams from throughout Europe competing in the Corgi Race Vilnius, in the capital of Lithuania, say. The event attracted a diverse group of furballs and their owners from Poland, Latvia, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
The festivities, which included a solo sprint, a competition for the "mightiest voice," costume challenges, and group racing, drew thousands of Lithuanians to the capital's largest park on Saturday and Sunday.
The so-called World Corgi Meetup will connect Lithuanian canines with their American, Irish, and Polish counterparts through live broadcasting. “This is so much fun and great emotion for the entire family, something bright that many people are craving for these days,” said retired teacher Janina Stoniene, who attended the race with her three grandchildren. The children said they admired the costume challenge as dogs were dressed in eye-catching outfits like Batman, a princess or an aeroplane.
The contest's delighted winner was a corgi named Amigo, who was dressed in a factory-themed costume that included two small chimneys and the words "Fur Factory." The winner of the solo race was another named Mango, whose owners are from Lithuania.
“So this is a mango, like a fruit mango, and we are participating (for the) second time in Corgi Race 2025," said Ignas Klimaika, a proud corgi lover from Vilnius. “Last year we didn’t manage to end the race perfectly. We had a really good training. We had trained every day, but this year we decided we just go without training, just to participate, just to enjoy all the lots of corgis,” he said.
However, Mango won the race this year, and his owners cheered and waved in an attempt to encourage him to win. "He's incredibly pleased with himself and he knows what he did," Ignas, who is already making plans for 2026, added.