When it comes to the speed of snakes, most people think of how fast a snake can strike. Which is certainly a major factor for snakes in general. Less thought of is how fast a snake can move across the ground. A lack of legs might be considered a disadvantage, but snakes are quite capable of covering a lot of ground in a short time. Not fast enough to outrun some predators, but fast enough to get into hiding. And there's also the fact that all snakes are capable of swimming, though some have become adapted to water. They weren't the fastest swimmers, but they can move a lot more easily through water than some land animals.
The Trial of Speed is different from the races that Animalians usually have. It wasn't the simple back and forth dash like some previous Zodiac events had, it wasn't quite the simple running laps as with standard sporting events. Half of the laps were on dry land, while the other half is a dive into a pool. Some may have a bit of concern about running near a pool, but then it's pretty much impossible for a snake to slip. The race wasn't just to show who was the fastest, but who has fully mastered serpentine locomotion on land and sea.
There were separate races for the males, females, and herms, as it would be too crowded for them all to race at once. Considering half of the race was swimming, the contestants were all wearing Olympic-style leotards, with obvious alterations for their tails. It at least made it unlikely for there to be a wardrobe malfunction.
The race really showed who had been training for this event as some of the snakes, most of them having converted during Snektember, floundered in the water. The ones who had properly trained were able to swim around, get out of the pool, and resume slithering another lap. Exiting the water was still a brief slowdown, but being able to slither or swim fast enough to make up for it was a big part of the race.
The race was over after six laps, which was more than hardy enough to test even the ones who trained the most. To some surprise, Iphis and Ianthe were able to make a considerable comeback in this even to make up for their poor performance in the Trial of Stealth. A good part of that was because anacondas are well-adapted to swimming. Though whether this will be enough to make up for shortcomings had yet to be seen. It was less of a surprise that Harold and Kirana were in the upper tiers, considering sea snakes were the best adapted for swimming. Drew Pixx was also able to make a significant boost, thanks to the black mamba being one of the fastest snakes. And while Muxing's species was more suited to climbing trees than swimming, she still pushed herself into the upper tiers thanks to all her training.
The Trial of Speed was a strenuous test, but it was far from the final one. Once the contestants have rested, it'll be time for the Trial of Strength. Though in that competition, they'll be divided by weight class more than sex, with the four-armed snakes getting a small reduction.