Japan's office chair Grand Prix is a surprisingly grueling sport
Wheeling yourself around on the humble swivel chair sounds like just another day at the office, but in Japan, an annual office chair "grand prix" is no laughing matter.
In its sixth year now, the "Isu-1 Grand Prix" (Isu is Japanese for chair) was held over the weekend at Kyotanabe city in Kyoto, Japan.
You May Also Like
The two-hour endurance event sees competitors zipping round and round a course of roughly 180 metres, clad in helmets and elbow guards and pushing their chairs to the limit over the grueling race.
As the Asahi Shimbun details, wearing protective gear is necessary because chairs often break during the race, sending competitors tumbling onto the concrete.
Teams are made up of three riders, and the objective is to complete as many laps as possible within the two hours.
This year's winning team, Kiyotaki, won 90 kg in bags of rice.
The competition, which was started as a marketing stunt for a sleepy shopping arcade in Kyotanabe, has become so popular that it's since been held in 12 other parts of Japan, including an upcoming April race in southern Taiwan's Tainan city.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
