At Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, England, people willingly throw themselves down a nearly vertical slope in pursuit of a speeding wheel of cheese. The goal is to catch it if you can. The reality is...you're more likely to cartwheel into the crowd, tear your jeans open, and still walk away grinning -- with broken ribs and bragging rights.
Every May Bank Holiday, locals and travelers from around the world show up for one purpose: to risk spinal alignment for dairy glory. There's no cash prize, no official medical crew at the bottom -- just the possibility of standing up at the finish line with a head injury and yelling, "It's my cheese."
That's exactly what 23-year-old Tom Kopke from Munich did -- again. "All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title, but this is mine," he told the BBC after tumbling down the hill to win the first men's race for the second year in a row. "I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese. Back to back."
This year's event saw record dry conditions, making the steep hill harder and faster than usual. Competitors skidded, flipped, and flew down the slope -- some in costume, others barefoot or missing shoes -- while thousands of spectators looked on.
Two people were taken to the hospital, and the South Western Ambulance Service sent an air ambulance, five land ambulances, and a hazardous area response team to the scene. Despite being labeled "unsafe" by local authorities and warnings from safety groups about emergency access concerns, the centuries-old tradition pushed forward like it always has.
Ava Sender Logan, a 20-year-old university student from London, won the women's race despite not even liking cheese. "I thought it was such a tradition," she told Sky News. "I hit my head. I'm down, that's what matters. I'm fine."
Another competitor, Luke Preece, wore a Superman costume as he dove down the slope and took first place in a separate men's race. "I am absolutely buzzed," he told Daily Mail. "My dad did it. I can't believe it."
The event dates back hundreds of years and may have roots in pagan rituals celebrating the return of spring. Now, it's being considered for inclusion in the UK's official Inventory of Living Heritage.
There's no registration. No liability waiver. Just you, a crowd, and a fast-moving wheel of dairy barreling down one of England's steepest hills.
And if you're lucky, in a roll-hilling-daredevil kind of way, you'll wake up in a medical tent with a concussion, a crowd cheering your name, and a wheel of cheese in your arms.