Early on the morning of January 10th, 2014, thousands of people gathered patiently outside the gates of the Nishinomiya shrine in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture waiting to participate in a 230-meter (754 feet) sprint across the shrine grounds, to win the coveted title of 'Lucky Man /(Woman)'.

The popular race that is part of the annual three-day Toka Ebisu festival, began the night before when contestants were invited to draw straws that decided the lineup for the race. 19-year-old university student Seiki Kyoda, was the first to complete the mad dash earning himself not only a barrel of Sake but also lots of good luck that the title is supposed to bring with it.

Resources: bbc.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk