Competitor No 35 looked sprightly and had high hopes of success as he lined up against 50 other starters for the first Australia Day race of 2017. That was the way the cockie crumbled on Thursday as the annual Cockroach Races got underway at Brisbane's Story Bridge Hotel. Cindy Jarratt had dressed herself head-to-toe in the Aussie flag, but it was not enough to get her cockroach Nitrateroach over the line. When asked why Ms Jarratt had decided to take part in this year's event, she said: "It's Australia Day, come on". The cockroach races have been a feature of the Story Bridge Hotel's Australia Day festivities for 36 years.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 26, 2017 05:22 UTC