Spider lovers and other invertebrate enthusiasts gathered in a large circle around the square patch of Astroturf where the Madagascar hissing cockroaches were set to race at the 10th Annual American Tarantula Society conference at Esplendor Resort in Rio Rico last week.
Participants picked out a cockroach and, with a strip of duct tape, put a number on its back. Then each roach competed in several small races. The winners of those races moved up to the Grand Prix. The ones that did not move at all competed in the laziest roach race.
Kaylin Wilcoxen, 13, from Washington state, participated in the cockroach races. "Every year my mom and I travel out here to come to the conference. It's actually really fun," she said.
The conference was a four-day affair with field trips, workshops, guest speakers and vendors.
"Our conference is about getting people who have this odd interest together. It's a chance to meet other people who are interested in spiders and other invertebrates," said Wade Harrell, president of the American Tarantula Society.
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For more information on the American Tarantula Society visit atshq.org.
