Man who put Welsh town on map with Man v Horse and bog snorkelling dies aged 90
The man who helped to put a small Welsh town on the international map with a series of wacky and wonderful events has died
Gordon Green was the brains behind events including the World Bog Snorkelling Championship and the legendary the Man v Horse race which attract competitors from around the world to Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys.
Mr Green died on Friday after a short illness. He was aged 90. As with many of the best ideas, the Man v Horse race began in a pub.
In 1980 Mr Green - who was the landlord of the town's Neuadd Arms - overheard two men debating the relative merits of men and horses running over mountainous terrain, and which one would win. The rest, as they say, is history.
From that first Man v Horse race the calendar of unusual events in the mid-Wales town has grown to include bog snorkelling, stone skimming, and bicycle chariot racing.
Together the events attract thousands of competitors and visitors every year. The bog snorkelling competition has been described by the travel guide Lonely Planet as one of the world's top 50 "must do" experiences.
The eccentric yet demanding event involves competitors swimming two lengths of a 60-yard peat bog trench in the shortest time possible, equipped with a snorkel and flippers.
In 2013, Mr Green was handed an outstanding achievement award at the National Tourism Awards for "putting mid Wales on the tourism map".
The following year he won the Point Light Award with the then Prime Minister David Cameron saying his "wonderfully bizarre" events had given Llanwrtyd an "incredible boost" and attracted thousands of participants and spectators to the town.
Fittingly the bog snorkelling championships were held this weekend with teacher Neil Rutter being crowned bog snorkelling world champion for the fifth time.
Neil, from Bath, swam the trench in an awe inspiring time of 1:18:13, winning for the sixth time and leaving others bogged down.
Mr Green's daughter, Susannah Kingdon, said she and her family are "incredibly proud of the work my father has put into the community".
In addition to the man v horse race, Mr Green also created the World Alternative Games in Llanwrtyd, bringing bog snorkelling and gravy wrestling to the town.
"I will never forget the time he announced at the dinner table 'I have a new event...bog snorkelling'," Ms Kingdon added.
"Being a typical teenager I was horrified, but look at it now along with all the other many events that attract worldwide competitors.
"We couldn't be more proud of being able to say you sure did put Llanwrtyd on the map.
"He changed the fortunes of an entire community, he was and will remain a legend and his legacy to us all will live on."
BBC news presenter Sophie Raworth, a friend of the family who has also competed in the man v horse race, said Mr Green "loved being there and was at the finish line too watching everyone come in".
"A lovely man with a wonderful idea that became one of the UK's best races."
Bernice Benton, Llanwrtyd resident and Green Events volunteer said: “Thinking of the Green family and a whole extended community of friends and acquaintances whose lives were impacted by knowing Gordon Green.
“His life has rippled into so many, far beyond the confines of close family and friends.
“To a few he was family, husband, dad, grandad. To many he was friend
“He changed lives. He changed the fortunes of an entire community. He was, and will remain, a legend. And his legacy to us all will live on.
“He will, above all, be greatly missed and remain greatly loved.”
