Each year in mid summer, a small town in Eastern Washington State, called Omak, proudly promotes an event named “The World-Famous Suicide Race.” Town officials claim this event (created to as a draw for the town’s annual rodeo) is a celebration of history and tradition. Over a span of four days and nights, riders repeatedly run their horses off Suicide Hill with a 120-foot galloping start. Horses blindly plunge more than 210 feet down a slope that event organizer’s often boast as an “almost vertical… 62-degree angle.” At breakneck speed, the horses then meet the Okanogan River. Entry into the river is narrow, causing bottlenecks and horrendous multiple-horse spills. If rider and horse do make it to the, they face a treacherous and often panicked swim about the length of a football field. The final grueling sprint is a 500-foot uphill climb to the finish line.