When Sarah Maxcy first brought her husband Jonathan to the Camden toboggan races 11 years ago, he did not have high expectations.

“She dragged me here kicking and screaming,” he said. “I thought it was silly. Then when I got here, I saw that it was a pretty exciting, cool event with a lot of competition.”

The next year he formed a team — they made it to the finals but finished last on a sled they bought at a yard sale — and from then on, he’s been hooked.

His team, Whiskey on Ice, is the reigning 2-man and 4-man champions, with a long list of other wins. Sarah’s team, Shear Madness, holds the record for fastest females.

The couple, who live in Warren, lead two of the more than 350 toboggan teams descending on Camden this weekend to compete in the 33rd Annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

Organizers say conditions are perfect for the teams to compete in 2, 3, or 4 person categories. This event fills hotels and gives a winter boost to the Midcoast.

It’s believed to be the only traditional wood toboggan race in the country, with an original chute that dates to 1936. It’s since been rebuilt a couple of times and is 400 feet long, beginning 70 feet high with a finish line on Hosmer Pond.

“It’s a rush,” Jonathan Maxcy said. “It’s like a roller coaster. It’s rickety. When you get dropped in that wooden cantilever falls you are picking up speed, fast.”

Teams reach 40 mph or more.

“It’s quite a rush,” Sarah Maxcy said. “You just hope you don’t hit the rock on the other side of the pond.”

On Friday, teams picked up their competition bibs and waited in line to get their sleds inspected.

At the inspection station, Tom Cox asked each team to hoist their toboggans onto a scale, then used a tape measure to check for width and length. If everything looked OK, he had the competitors flip the sled over to check for screws on the bottom.

“We’ve got some strict rules, this is a competition,” said Holly Anderson, Camden’s assistant parks and recreation director. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a serious competition. We want it to be fair.”

Competitors can build their own toboggans or buy them, but they must be safe.

“It can’t be pulled from grandma’s attic and try to run it down the chute,” she said.

For 31 years, Throbbin’ Boggins, made up of locals who grew up in Camden and Rockport, have enjoyed the fun.

“This is like the Redneck Games and the X-Games go together,” said Art Dinsmore, who warmed cheese dip on a grill Friday afternoon in Tobogganville. “We have a good time. It’s like a class reunion every year.”

The event runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Camden Snow Bowl. There’s no charge for spectators to watch the event, but organizers say it’s best to park in downtown Camden and take a free shuttle to the event. Food trucks and portable restrooms are on site.