On the May 27, 2024, deep in the countryside of Gloucester, England, 10-40 people stood preparing to race in the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese Race, the prize on the line was a roll of Double Gloucester Cheese. 

Cheese rolling is a sport explained by Cheeseprofessor.com as “You just run down the hill with the cheese rolling in front of you. The race commences as soon as you drop the cheese. No one actually catches the cheese. It’s whoever manages to get to the bottom of the hill first. If you win the race, you win the cheese.” 

The origins of British Cheese Rolling can be traced back to Britain’s Roman era with the first ever recorded cheese race taking place in the year 1837. Anyone can participate in this peculiar sport although it is mostly locals in the area that decide to partake. During each race only 10-40 people are allowed to go down the hill at once as a safety precaution. 

Although this sport may seem harmless, many have sustained injuries from it; one of the main reasons  is the steepness and length of Cooper’s Hill. Cheeseprofessor.com states “It’s 182 meters (or 600 feet) long with a 1:2 gradient, which is to say nearly vertical. Some of the most common injuries that are sustained from this race include concussions, pulled muscles, broken bones, cuts etc. Emily Espino  stated “So my first reaction is that it seems like a pretty cool idea but it’s also pretty unsafe for the participants because they can get injured either trying to catch the cheese or while going down the hill”. 

The grand prize from this race is the cheese which is called Double Gloucester Cheese that is aged for 6 months beforehand. On average, cheese costs about 10-15 dollars per pound making it affordable for those who want to try it. However, the cheese is not the only prize that can be gained from this. Ms. Poniatowski, a biology teacher at Briar Woods, stated “Personally, I would sign up to participate in this. I do like the idea that people are getting outside and off their phones and enjoying nature and maybe partaking a little bit of cheese at the end.”

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese race is one of the most unusual but interesting sporting events out there that many people have not heard of.