OFFBEAT

Photos: 'T. rexes' race to photo finish at Washington state track

T-Rex World Championships started 2017 as a pest control company's team-building activity

Last updated: August 22, 2023 | 11:27

2 MIN READ

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Auburn: A track for live horse racing in suburban Seattle turned prehistoric over the weekend as more than 200 people ran down the track cloaked in inflatable Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur costumes.

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The 2023 T-Rex World Championships at Emerald Downs — an event that started in 2017 as a pest control company's team-building activity — ended in a photo finish on Sunday, with three competitors hitting the finish line together.

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Ocean Kim took top honors in the 100-yard (91.2-meter) dash after officials agreed Kim, of Kailua, Hawaii, hit the finish wire just ahead of the pack.

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Second place went to Colton Winegar of Boise, Idaho, who entered as Deno the Dino. Seth Hirschi, of Renton, as Rex Ray Machine, finished in third.

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The actual T. rex roamed the planet between 65 million and 67 million years ago.

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A study published two years ago in the journal Science estimated that about 2.5 billion of the dinosaurs ever lived.

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Hollywood movies such as the “Jurassic Park” franchise have added to the public fascination with the carnivorous creature.

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Championship winner Ocean Kim flexes after winning the race.

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Jake Garrett rests on the grass between races during the "T-Rex World Championship Races" at Emerald Downs.

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A discarded costume lies on the grass.

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