Hundreds ride inflatable sex dolls down river rapids in Russian race

(NewsCore) - More than 450 people rode inflatable sex dolls down river rapids at the eighth annual installment of a bizarre but popular Russian race, The St Petersburg Times reported Tuesday.

The competitors -- and their odd props -- spent three minutes hurtling down the Vuoksa River's Losevo Rapids in the Bubble Baba Challenge.

The word "baba" is Russian for "peasant woman," but is also a crude term with sexual connotations, the English-language news website reported.

Men and women both took part in the challenge -- with a separate heat for women-only racers.

The race was won by St. Petersburg man Vladislav Pavlenko who rode his doll, dubbed ’Vanilla Pelotki,’ to the finish in two minutes and 47 seconds.