Ben Pifher/MDN William Wahl competes in the pedal tractor pull at the North Dakota State Fair on Tuesday, encouraged by his mother, Karmen Wahl, (not shown) who is in front of him.

It was William Wahl’s first year competing in the pedal tractor pull at the North Dakota State Fair Tuesday but he was excited to be a part of it with his big sister.

The family made the pedal tractor pull part of their fair tradition three years ago, when William’s sister, Scarlett Wahl, started competing. Their mother, Karmen Wahl, said the first year she saw the event, she was excited there was something for her kids to be a part of.

The pedal tractor pull is an event in which children are on heavy-duty pedal tractors towing a weighted sled. This is a miniature and non-motorized version of the popular tractor pulls that take place at fairs nationwide. The goal is for contestants to pull the sled as far as they can while the weight ratchets forward onto the front, causing it to be progressively more difficult to pull.

The event is a state-sanctioned event, at which contestants can qualify for state competition or even national-level competition.

Competitors were reminded by the announcer to “just look forward and pedal as hard as you can.” The crowd gathered around competitors cheered and clapped for each contestant no matter how they did in the competition.