1 Day Cheese Rolling
There are 5 downhill races (one is for ladies) and the first is at 12pm. A guest roller starts the race by releasing a 7-8lb round of cheese down a treacherous slope. Competitors then chase down the slope after the cheese. The first person to arrive at the foot of the hill wins the cheese and the acclaim of the crowds.
This may sound quite an easy task but The Double Gloucester cheese is estimated to reach up to 70 miles per hour, taking approximately 12 seconds from top to bottom! As you can imagine the hill is very very steep and the surface is very very rough and uneven so this makes it almost impossible to remain both feet for the descent.
Undoubtedly last year there were many tumblers and fallers, the lack of injury was due much in part to the soft conditions on the hill. There were of course a few bumps, bruises and grazes but these were kept to a minimum as the 'catchers' were kept busy all afternoon with both the official races and the fun runs. The 'catchers' are there to ensure a "safe landing" for the runners most of whom need help in stopping.
Last year despite the terrible weather saw a turnout of around 2500 spectators and hopefully this year the weather will be a bit kinder. After the official races came to an end a number of spontaneous downhill races commenced with no prizes up for grabs these guys were keen. Some people were so elated by the experience, they were seen returning again to the top of the hill for another run - brave brave people!
Content taken from the official cheese rolling website http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/