Photos by Ethan Charles | Greene County News

Adelaide smokes the competition.

Parents try desperately to get their toddler to the finish line.

XENIA — The annual Diaper Derby was filled with cheers and laughs once again as this years winner, Adelaide Rausch, was crowned fastest crawler Wednesday afternoon.

Adelaide isn’t the first in her family to win this award. According to her mother, Emily Rausch, her cousin won last year’s derby.

The secret ingredient? Vegetables.

Parents are allowed to use whatever tools necessary to get their infant to the finish line where one of the parents are waiting. Some parents use water bottles, keys, baby toys, or other interesting devices to get their kid to come crawling, but not Rausch.

Instead, Adelaide crawled across the course towards to broccoli her mother held out.

“We signed up because her cousin did well last year,” said Rausch about her daughter. “They used a banana pepper for her.”

While it’s not clear how or why the Rausch family carries vegetables around the fair with them, they do seem to come in handy.

The derby began with two races of three children each, with the two winners of the races moving on to one final race. Adelaide Rausch finished first by a long shot in both races.

Contact Ethan Charles at 937-502-4532.