Cruisin' crustaceans: Hermit crabs show off speed in contest

VIRGINIA BEACH

World Cup crawlers, Amelia Crabhart and even hermit crab newlyweds in a red monster truck battled it out Saturday at the Oceanfront.

But Dr. Zeus, king of the Greek gods and now king of the hermit crabs, clawed his way to the top of the ninth annual Mid-Atlantic Hermit Crab Challenge. In all, 182 crabs competed in the race and its accompanying beauty challenge at 30th Street.

Dr. Zeus' crab brother, Poseidon, showed early promise. A bigger hermit crab, he sported an elephant painted on his blue shell.

But Dr. Zeus, a cream-colored, mid-sized crab, stole the show.

"I didn't want him to be beautiful. I didn't want him to be real strong. I just wanted to win the race," said Ernest Mihalopoulos, Dr. Zeus' trainer.

Mihalopoulos, of Pittsburgh, bought Dr. Zeus and Poseidon at a beach shop an hour before their first heats, so naturally, they had lots of time to train and bond. Cheered on by his supportive - and slightly embarrassed - wife and two daughters, Mihalopoulos gave the crabs pep talks and sprayed them with a water spritzer.

"That's what happens when you take something seriously," he joked with his daughters, holding his red and gold trophy and the green plastic cage above his head. He said he plans to take the crabs back to the special education class he teaches.

Each race heat consisted of 10 crabs placed in the center of an 8-foot-wide circle. The fastest crab to reach the red ring on the outer edge of the board advanced to the next round. Judges also gave out awards such as "most traveled crab," "most athletic crab " and "shiest crab" - which was too shy even to come up and accept its award.

"We're not crabby yet," joked L.D. Davis after hours of judging. The Virginia Beach resident has judged the event since its inception nine years ago. She said this summer brought the most original names she's seen - with fewer Hermie s and Crabby s than in past years. Organizers said this year's crabs seem larger, but they've ruled out performance-enhancing drugs.

Juan Pablo, painted red and yellow for the Spanish flag, had green claws from the grass like sand. His cage had a goal post, a soccer ball and a Netherlands goalie.

Maddison Warhurst, 8, built a pink baby nursery for her crab, Hope, who won "friendliest crab." The room had a crib, decorative baby carriages, bottles and letter blocks with pink teddy bears.

But it was Chef Hermi who won the Miss Curvaceous Crustacean Beauty Pageant. Sarah Katz, 10, of Rockville had been about to leave because she didn't think she would win the contest. But the judges were impressed by the blue-shelled chef of Crab Cakes restaurant, equipped with tables, chairs and menus.

"I'm really, really excited," Katz said. "I'll probably put the trophy with the medal I won last year."

Shayna Meliker, (757) 446-2326 or shayna.meliker@pilotonline.com