Yesterday, on a farm near Gloucester, England, crowds gathered once again for the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, continuing a tradition that dates back at least 200 years. Participants chase a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down an extremely steep and uneven hill—with no police or paramedics on site this year. The winner of the race gets to take home the cheese.
The 2023 Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Race
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![Eight men are seen tumbling and trying to run down a very steep hill.]()
Read moreParticipants compete in the men's downhill race during the Cheese Rolling contest at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England, on May 29, 2023. #
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![A crowd stands on the crest of a hill, watching as a group of runners starts a race down a very steep slope.]()
Read moreRacers start the first Cooper's Hill women's downhill race on May 29, 2023, in Gloucester. Note the small wheel of cheese rolling away at lower right. #
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![Several people race down a very steep hill.]()
Read moreParticipants take part in the third men's race on May 29, 2023. #
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![A woman holds a wheel of cheese above her head, surrounded by a group of cheering people.]()
Read moreDelaney Irving, from Canada, holds the cheese after winning the women's downhill race on May 29, 2023. Irving fell near the end of the race, and was knocked unconscious. She was taken to a medical tent to recover and, shortly after regaining consciousness, was awarded the cheese. #
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![A person leans down to kiss a wheel of cheese that is wrapped with red and blue ribbons.]()
Read moreA man kisses a cheese wheel at Cooper's Hill on May 29, 2023. #
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![Two people wear top hats that look like they are made of cheese, in a grassy field with a line of other people in the background.]()
Read moreSpectators wear cheese hats at Cooper's Hill on May 29, 2023. #
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![A crowd stands at the bottom of a steep hill, looking up to watch racers run and tumble.]()
Read moreSpectators watch from below as participants run and tumble down Cooper's Hill on May 29, 2023. #
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![Two men are seen tumbling down a steep slope.]()
Read moreParticipants chase the cheese in a men's downhill race on May 29, 2023. #
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![A group of people reach down to help an injured runner on a hillside.]()
Read moreAn injured participant is helped down the hill during the third men's race on May 29, 2023. #
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![A person stands at the bottom of a steep hill holding a wheel of cheese wrapped in red and blue ribbons above their head.]()
Read moreCooper Cummings from the United States celebrates after winning a men's downhill during the Cheese-Rolling contest at Cooper's Hill on May 29, 2023. #
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![Runners tumble at the start of a steep downhill race.]()
Read moreThe start of the women's downhill race, seen on May 29, 2023. #
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![A man smiles for the camera, with a bandage over his left eye and dried blood on his face.]()
Read moreA participant receives medical treatment after a race, May 29, 2023. #
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![People run and tumble down a steep, grassy hill.]()
Read morePeople run and tumble in the second Cooper's Hill men's downhill race on May 29, 2023. #
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![A man holds his shoulder as if it is injured, while also holding a wheel of cheese between his knees, as a friend cheers for him close by.]()
Read moreMatt Crolla, from Salford, celebrates with a friend after winning, and injuring himself, in the first men's downhill race on May 29, 2023. #
Annabel Lee-Ellis / Getty -
![A man smiles while holding up a wheel of cheese wrapped in red and blue ribbons, with a crowd of onlookers behind him.]()
Read moreRocco Cove holds his cheese after winning an uphill race during the Cheese-Rolling contest at Cooper's Hill on May 29, 2023. #
Kin Cheung / AP
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