Camels prove to be fickle friends

I learned a painful lesson Friday: Camels are not loyal.

For five years, I've overlooked their guttural noises, pungent odor and disjointed movements, to see the beautiful creatures on the inside.

What do I, the reigning media camel race champion, get in return? Humiliation.

In my first heat at the media grudge match of the 47th annual international Camel Races in Virginia City, I rode against Appeal crime reporter F.T. Norton and design coordinator Phil Wooley.

It was the first time for each of them, and I did my best to placate their fears. They should have been placating me.

From the starting signal, we were up and running, and I had a clear lead. But then, my camel, Achmed, went nuts (always blame the camel). We headed in the wrong direction, and Phil passed us. Then F.T.

I gave up, then so did Achmed. He laid down about 10 feet shy of the finish line.

"I am now the official camel queen!" Phil taunted.

Fortunately, Gary Jackson, owner of the camels, is not so traitorous like his dromedary counterparts. He took mercy on me and let me race in the championship round against Phil and real-life camel jockey Emily Reeves.

I won that one by barely a nose - not even a hump. Most importantly, Phil lost.

The camel races came about in 1866 when sportsmen and miners, who used the dromedaries to transport salt to the Comstock mills, devised the first race.

How many other races were run is not documented, but they definitely did not extend past 1875, when camels were outlawed by the Nevada State Legislature because they scared horses.

The idea was reborn in 1959, when The Territorial Enterprise editor Bob Richards wrote a spoof of the races.

He published the results of a fictional camel race and, while locals took it tongue-in-cheek, the wire services picked it up, and the story went nationwide.

The following year, Richards was challenged by the San Francisco Chronicle, which had taken his article seriously.

As legend has it, they leased camels from the San Francisco Zoo then raced down C Street.

The event gained immediate notoriety because Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, who were nearby filming "The Misfits," joined director John Huston for a day at the races.

Since then, it has become an annual event, with the international championships being held every other year, alternating with Alice Springs, Australia.

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the union between Virginia City and Alice Springs, when Jackson and a delegation of six others, including Nevada's then-first lady Bonnie Bryan, traveled to Australia to set up the partnership.

Jackson, who supplied the event's eight camels, encouraged spectators to come to the weekend's races, which also include ostrich and emu races.

"There's not a lot of camels in the U.S., and very few places hold races," he said. "Virginia City is the only place they have jockeys who are actually sponsored. Come ready to see something you've never seen before. There'll be a lot of excitement and a lot of laughs."

But the media race is no joke. I may have been a renegade competitor, but I'm still claiming half-champion status.

I'll share with you, Phil, but you better keep your hands off my tiara - even if you do have a matching tutu.

• Contact features editor Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.

If you go

Schedule of events for the International Virginia City Camel Races:

Today:

Noon: Grand Parade on C Street

1:30 p.m.: Races begin

Sunday:

1:30 p.m.: Races begin

4 p.m.: Championship Races and awards ceremony

Cost: General admission is $10; VIP tickets are $35; family pack is $25; junior/senior/military $8

For information, call (775) 847-0311 or

1-800-718-SLVR.

Soso Whaley created a documentary of the International Camel Races in Virginia City. The DVD will be available for sale at the Gifted Cowboy Booth at the camel races.