Bernard the Tortoise was crowned champion of the 2026 Corpus Christi Tortoise Race on 7 June, sweeping all three rounds of an unusually dramatic contest between Oxford’s scaliest athletes.
The race is traditionally decided in a single round. Tortoises are placed in the middle of an arena bordered by a ring of lettuce, and the first tortoise to reach the outer ring is crowned champion.
This year, however, Corpus Christi College porter James Serjeant introduced a last-minute “best of three” format after Bernard won the opening race in around 10 seconds. The unusually swift finish was aided by a smaller-than-usual lettuce ring surrounding the competitors.
To add to the drama of the first round, the announcer initially shouted, “Foxe wins,” mistakenly identifying Bernard as Corpus Christi’s official tortoise, Foxe. The mix-up reflected the presence of the two similar-appearing tortoises in the same race.
Bernard is owned by Corpus Christi’s bursar, Luke Webster. Although Bernard is not the college’s official tortoise, Corpus tortoise keeper Vivi Alabaster described him as “Corpus-adjacent.”
Foxe, Corpus Christi’s official tortoise, also competed this year. He has previously brought victory to the college in 2013 and 2025.
The other tortoise contestants were Kale from Nuffield College, Truffle from Regent’s Park College, and Wendy from Balliol College.
First held in 1974, the Corpus Christi Tortoise Race has become one of Oxford’s most celebrated Trinity term traditions. The race forms part of the college’s annual Tortoise Fair, a charity event featuring live music, dancing, and tortoise-themed merchandise.
Also of great interest to the crowd was the ‘human tortoise race’ which preceded the main event. Unwitting human participants were asked to eat a head of lettuce and then crawl about 15 metres on all fours, much to the amusement of Sports Editor Thomas Yates. Some colleges that do not own tortoises of their own submit entrants for the human race; Magdalen’s Oscar d’Tortoise is one such example.
Foxe is named after Corpus’ founder, Richard Foxe. The first tortoise race was held as a challenge to Oriel College. Now it is an annual highlight which offers both exhilarating action and financial support for philanthropies.
This year, the event raised £5,700 for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Oxfordshire.
Although Corpus Christi hosts the annual contest, the title has often travelled beyond the college. Recent winners include Kale of Nuffield College in 2024, Aristurtle of St Peter’s College in 2023, and Tortilla of Lincoln College in 2022.
Bernard’s 2026 win therefore gives Corpus, or at least its extended tortoise family, a rare sequential claim to the crown after Foxe’s 2025 victory.