Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling of Brockworth, England

Every year on the last weekend in May, thousands of spectators gather around Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, England, to watch fearless competitors roll down a hill after a wheel of cheese in the Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling competition.

At approximately 295 feet high and with a 2.1 gradient, this hill is steep and the competition is not for the lighthearted. Many participants have suffered injuries from the rocky, rough terrain, but that doesn’t dissuade them from coming back to compete year after year for bragging rights and the grand prize — the wheel of cheese.

Since the event’s conception nearly 20 years ago, the wheel of cheese is now a plastic replica created in 2013, weighing eight pounds and reaching speeds up to 70 miles an hour down the hill. Following the speeding cheese wheel down the hill is no easy task for competitors as the cheese is often far our of sight by the time participants make their way down the hill by running, falling and tumbling down.

Many participants come from all over the world, but some of the top competitors are locals who have been competing for many years. Participating men and women often dress in costume to stand out from the rolling crowd. The videos and photos from the event have made the competition more popular and infamous in recent years.