Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling has been called the world’s most dangerous footrace. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake is an annual event takes place at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England. The annual event is held on the Spring Bank Holiday. The name of the event comes from the Hill where it takes place. It’s a famous event where people are coming from United States, Australia, New Zealand and Nepal and all over the world. The event used to be traditionally helped by the local people.
Format of the Event is that on a Steep hill of 200 yards (650 Feet) down. A Wheel of Cheese rolled down the hill and athletes try to catch an eight-pound rounds of double Gloucester Cheese after it. Cheese roll can speed up to 70 miles per hour. The first person to catch the wheel wins the race and is awarded the cheese as a prize. They used to use real cheese to be chased before but after police warning an imitation lightweight foam cheese was replaced with the genuine article. As 33 people got injured in 1997 the 1998 event got cancelled. The same happened again in 2010. The event got cancelled which caused a major uproar
No one knows that how and who started the event, but it’s been taken place for more than 100 years. The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling competition typically has five downhill races-four for men, and one for women. Following are the events which takes place are Men’s Downhill Race, Uphill race, Women’s downhill race, final Men’s downhill Race. Sometimes a safer uphill race is organized for the children.
Cheese Roll event has been won by number of champions, most noticeable is Veteran cheese chaser Chris Anderson, 31, who holds a record 22 wins over the past 15 years. Whereas Max McDougall, 22, won the first men’s downhill race after tripping and tumbling down Cooper’s Hill. A second men’s race was won by Ryan Fairley, 29, from Brock worth, who took home a Double Gloucester for the ninth time. The women’s race was won by 28-year-old Flo Early, who picked up a Double Gloucester for the fourth time, after victories in
2008, 2016 and 2018. The final men’s downhill race was won by Canadian Mark Kit, 21, from Toronto.