The Cheese Rolling is a several hundred years old tradition at coopers hill, this year it was time for myself and some of my friends to join it!
What exactly is it?
The Cheese Rolling race is a race at Coopers Hill, near Gloucester, in Brockworth The hill is at a 45 degree angle and it is super unlikely for you to get down on your feet. A second before you, a three kg cheese is also falling down the hill. The goal is to catch the cheese or be the first one crossing the line on the bottom of the hill.
It is an unofficial event, which is still happening every year at the same time and place!
It has been happening every year on the last monday of May and this for the last hundred of years. Nobody really knows when and why this event was starting in the first place. At the Netflix Series “We are champions”, you can learn a bit more about it. Since then it is also becoming more popular internationally.
I knew about it a few years before that, but also throughout the internet.
Why is it stupid?
Basically you are risking your health for cheese, I mean cheese is amazing, but still. You are running down a crazy hill, which is actually looking worse, then on the footage, you can find online. Many people break some bones and are not looking well at the end. Everyone who is competing is still enjoying the event and the spectators as well.
The whole thing is just not smart to do, but it is a tradition and also a challenge, so I can of course understand why people are doing it. This was also a reason why I was like “I need to go there, let’s do it!”
My own experience
I was using a week to explore a bit of England, before making my way to Coopers Hill, as the highlight of the trip. When leaving Gloucester
I was getting more and more nervous. My friends were still really relaxed, no idea how that was possible.
After getting closer to the hill, the roads were starting to be blocked. Actually there is just one real spot, to which you can go, it is this one
Over there you can park your car and pay for the parking, a good way of making money for sure!
There was one hike to the hill, hard to find, but when not being the first you are going to make it, because there will always be people around you. You need to walk over meadows, climbing fences, but making it at the end.
The first time at the hill
When being for the first time at the hill, it is looking even worse than on the pictures and videos, which you can find online. You are standing on the bottom and looking up there and you already realize that it is a really dumb idea. But you can’t fly from Germany for the race and not do it!
We were trying to climb the mountain, which was just hard, it wasn’t easy but durable of course. Standing on top of the mountain, the mixture of respect and fear is coming up, I didn’t know what to think really besides asking myself “why?”
My friends were feeling the same way. We wanted to arrive a day earlier, but that didn’t work out the way we wanted. We were going in the forest and tried to learn some falling strategies, which are probably good, but while running down it is hard to remember.
The place got more and more packed. People from all over the world joined this event and talked a lot, they tried to drink the fear away, at least some of them, not all of course. It was great, everyone was in a good mood and kind of scared but also excited for the upcoming event.
The Race
I am in the top left on the picture, in the bright gray pants.
There was a waiting line in front of the hill. Due to the fact that we were quite early there, we were able to get into the race quickly. They don’t want you to push and to just stay calm and wait until it is your turn.
There are three official races for the men and one for the women. Adding to this, there are three uphill races, one for the boys, one for the girls and one for all the adults or kids who want to do it. The races are happening every 30 min. After all the races, there will still be unofficial races happening, for everyone who wants to.
We were sitting on the edge of the hill and looking down. Thousands of people were on the side cheering and screaming. All the time you here “cheese, cheese, cheese!”.
I was getting nervous big time, but then told to myself “Fuck it, you are going to do it! Just don’t think and run down!” The announcer was saying “1 to be ready, 2 to be steady, 3 for the cheese and at 4 you go!”
I stopped thinking and went just down, was trying to stay on my feet, but that didn’t went well. I fell and was just rolling down the hill, but still quite controlled until I was crashing into two others, after that I flipped and was rolling a bit rougher down. After I was over the line, the adrenaline giving me positive vibes and I tried standing up, which ended in falling down again.
People broke bones and had to get help from an ambulance.
Can I recommend it?
It is a crazy, but fun event! I was enjoying it a lot and it is possible to run down without hurting yourself. I had some scratches on my hands, but besides that I was fine. It is important to know that you are doing this event and you can get seriously hurt. You should have health insurance just in case.
The people are hyped and even for just watching, there are people coming from far away, to just watch it. It is something, which is happening nowhere like that. It is unique and that’s why thousands of people come together in this small town, somewhere in England.
Summary
I thought for a long time about doing this event, but it never got out of my mind after I heard about it a few years ago. It is a special event and I like having a challenge.
You need to be a little bit crazy, when really wanting to do it, but in my opinion it is worth it going, you for sure won’t regret it!
The cheese rolling is a nice and stupid tradition, which is happening every year at the last Monday of May, so mark it in you calendar, when you are crazy enough risking your health for three kilogram of cheese!
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