In this rural community, sploshing through a muddy football oval is the highlight of the year.

Since 2019, residents from Victoria's South Gippsland region have donned their best gumboots to compete in the annual Gumboot Gift.

Last week, competitors braved the wind and rain to keep the country tradition alive.

An annual tradition

The Gumboot Gift is a 120-metre foot race held each year in the Victorian town of Korumburra, as part of the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.

Expo project secretary Deanne Kennedy said it all began with a dinner table conversation.

"We were brainstorming novelty events we could include, and somebody came up with the idea of a gumboot race," she said.

"Six years later, it's become a much-loved and very competitive event."

Ms Kennedy said it brought t

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