Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

absurd & amazing

Rollin’ cheese, yup

I stumbled across this event the other day and it’s absurd. I thrive on absurdity so let me share it with you.

Introducing the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. This is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, near Gloucester in England. Participants race down the 200-yard (180 m) long hill chasing a wheel of double Gloucester cheese.

This is the dumbest event I’ve ever seen… and yet I cannot take my eyes off its beauty. Maybe… I should sign up?

How it works

• From the top of the hill, a 7–9 pound (3–4 kilograms) round of double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down the hill, which is 200 yards long.

• Competitors then start racing down the hill after the cheese.

• The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.

• The competitors aim to catch the cheese; however, it has around a one-second head start and can reach speeds up to 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour), enough to knock over and injure a spectator.

• Multiple races are held during the day with separate events for men and women.

What’s funny is that I know I’d compete in this event (the idiot in me also wants to do Running of the Bulls at some point too). Give me three or four beers and I’m there.

Here’s a glorious quote from Helen Thorpe, former winner of the event:

"No-one's going to stop us doing it. They say it's not official, but we are all Brockworth people, and we're running cheese today, so it is official. We strongly believe in it."

They even have an official website.

Cheese Rolling 2023 Recap

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