LONDON. Daredevils and thrill-seekers embraced two of Britain’s most eccentric and extreme annual races on Monday: the Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill and the Tetbury Woolsack Races.
In the Cheese Rolling event, dairy-loving competitors threw caution to the wind as they chased 7-pound (3-kilogram) wheels of Double Gloucester cheese down the near-vertical Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in southwest England. Cheered on by several thousand spectators, the first racer to finish behind the rolling cheese in each race gets to keep it. The tradition, which dates back to at least 1826, often results in participants taking rough tumbles down the 200-yard (180-meter) hill. This year’s course was especially slippery and muddy due to recent rain, with local rugby club members stationed at the bottom to catch the tumbling competitors.
Tom Kopke from Munich, Germany, won one of the three men’s races. “You start and then the adrenaline takes over and you just go, go, go,” Kopke said. “Look at this event, look at this hill. England is mad. I love it.” Local competitor Josh Shepherd and Dylan Twiss from Perth, Australia, won the other two men’s downhill races. Abby Lampe from North Carolina triumphed in the women’s race with a lightning-fast roll that left the rest of the field far behind. “You just have to roll,” said Lampe, a graduate of NC State who also won in 2022. “There’s a little bit of pain, but it’s just going to be temporary.”
About 20 miles (32 kilometers) away in the town of Tetbury, competitors took part in the Tetbury Woolsack Races. Participants carried sacks of wool weighing up to 60 pounds (27 kilograms) over a 240-yard (220-meter) course up and down the steep Gumstool Hill. This event, held since 1972, draws on a local tradition dating back to the 17th century in the historic wool-trading town.
Both events, traditionally held on a late-May national holiday, highlight the unique and quirky spirit of British sportsmanship. Despite the risks involved, they continue to draw participants and spectators from around the world, celebrating the country’s love for unconventional and extreme competitions.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
