If you thought Kentucky was only known for the Kentucky Derby you would be sadly mistaken. For over 30 years Louisville, Kentucky has also been home to the annual Running of the Rodents - taking place this week. For this race you won't need your top hat or mint julep. And unlike the Derby which touts the 'greatest two minutes in sports,' the Running of the Rodents condenses that time down to just two seconds.

Believe it or not the rodent race was the brainchild of the former math and science chair at Spalding University, Sister Julia Clare Fontaine. Sister Julia overheard a senior complaining about the drudgery of finals week, saying, "I'll be so glad to get out of this rat race." The light bulb went off for this biology professor who thought it would be a great way for students to let off some end-of-the-semester stress.

The 'big cheese' of an idea grew until it became one of Louisville's most happening events. This week eight of the world's fasted domesticated rodents trained by Spalding students, will come together under one roof to compete in a race and become a part of, 'rats to riches' legend. The race has become a gala event, with a Running of the Rodents Parade of Contenders, with the local mayor handing out the prize - a garland of Froot Loops.

According to Spalding University the fastest time ever recorded in rat racing history was in 1987, when the rodent Deep Throat won the race in 1.8 seconds. This is still the time to beat. If you want to check out some videos from past races, we posted a link on our blog.

In honor of this rat race tradition that has been going on for 33 years we decided it would be appropriate to check out the most popular four legged rodent searches for the week ending April 2, 2005:

1. Hamster
2. Beaver
3. Rat
4. Mouse
5. Squirrel
6. Ground Hog
7. Guinea Pig
8. Chinchilla
9. Gopher
10. Chipmunk

Additional reporting by Cris Sigovitch who had a hamster named "Kitten" as a kid.