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Elite Edition

Has anyone died doing the cheese roll?

Author

Christopher Davis

Published Mar 31, 2026

Has anyone died doing the cheese roll?

No one has ever been killed at the cheese roll, though there is an apocryphal story about a runner dropping dead at the end of a race centuries ago. Four adults and four children were zapped by lightning when a sudden thunderstorm interrupted the 1982 cheese roll.

What is the cheese rolling tradition?

The cheese rolling tradition stretches back over 200 years though its origins remain a cause of speculation. The most popular theory says it is a celebration of the end of winter and growth of new crops. Participants chase a 9lb wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the hill, which can travel at over 70mph!

Is cheese chasing a sport?

It’s a sport wherein a 9 pound heavy round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled from the topmost point of a hill and the competitors change this ball down to the bottom. The first person to cross the finish line is declared the winner and gets to take home this cheese.

What is a British cheese roll?

What is cheese rolling? It’s pretty self-explanatory – a nine pound round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled from the very top of the hill and competitors chase after it down to the bottom. The first person across the finish line is crowned winner, with the cheese as their prize.

Which country invented cheese rolling?

Callum: The exact origin of the cheese rolling isn’t known, but is believed to have started in the early 1800s. Some say the tradition goes as far back as the ancient Romans, who used to have a fort on Cooper’s Hill and are credited as the first people to send objects hurtling down its steep slope.

What country has the cheese run?

England
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England.

Where do they do cheese chasing?

Cooper’s Hill
Gloucestershire’s Cooper’s Hill has played host to the traditional cheese rolling event since the 1800s, with thousands of spectators and daring competitors descending on Cooper’s Hill, determined to keep this world-famous tradition alive – with this year’s event set to take place on Monday 31 May 2021.

What is the prize for cheese rolling?

The slope on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester, the setting for the world-famous event, is in fact so steep that very few contestants manage to stay on their feet, instead tumbling head-over-heels down the hill in a desperate effort to catch the coveted dairy prize – a weighty 8lb Double Gloucester.

Was there a cheese roll in 2020?

The cheese-rolling event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How long has cheese chasing been a tradition?

“Upwards of 40 contests annually attempt to chase a rolling cheese wheel down the hill for what may be the strangest competition in the history of mankind,” Rad Season noted. “However, the rich tradition dates back several hundred years validating the race as a world-famous event.”

What does it mean to chase cheese for fun?

If chasing cheese for fun is your jam, you might want to put this event on your calendar for next year. Rad Season noted that cheese chasing is a disorganized and informal sport.

How big of Wheel of cheese do you chase?

“England Rugby lost; England Cricket lost; England footy iffy at best, BUT boy do we know how to chase cheese ,” Roger Pellant proudly tweeted. Cheese chasing is dubbed dangerous for both spectators and participants, who chase after an 8-to-9 lb wheel of double Gloucester cheese that rolls down a hill at speeds as high as 70 mph.

Are there injuries in the cheese chasing event?

The cheese-chasing event features men’s, women’s, and children’s competitions, and even cheese-related injuries don’t stop competitors from trying to become the big cheese.