Our British friends have some peculiar traditions. In a place called Brockworth in England, they engage in one of the most unusual activities: Racing wheels of cheese down a hillside. The victor takes home the cheese. It appears to be quite hazardous, but the competitors are up for the feta challenge.
Yes, really.
Tom Kopke slipped, stumbled and tumbled his way to victory in the annual Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling race.
Kopke, hailing from Munich, claimed victory in the first race of the day, as men and women raced in various groups to chase a wheel of cheese down the treacherously steep 200-yard (180-meter) slope near Gloucester, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of London. The first person to reach the bottom of the hill, trailing the quick cheese, wins the wheel.
Finding that hard to believe something this grate could exist? Watch:
Daredevils have thrown themselves down a steep hill in the annual death-defying cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire.
Brave competitors sprinted, tripped and tumbled down Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth to try and win the 8lb double Gloucester.
The winner of the first men’s… pic.twitter.com/DxIWjKuavJ
— ITV News West Country (@itvwestcountry) May 26, 2025
The champion, a German named Tom Kopke, secured the title for the second time. He remarked that the hillside was drier and more dangerous compared to his win the previous year. He also shared his winning strategy:
I just shut off my brain and went for it.
That much is certain. Herr Topke certainly went at it with muenster-ish determination, and as you will note in the video, he has some scrapes and bruises to show for it. And, despite the odds of injury, it seems a gouda time was had by all. And the Brits seem to welcome people of other nations to participate, as noted by the German champion. Although it’s unknown if any curds were present. And spectators seemed to be present in good numbers as well. You’re welcome to watch if chasing cheese is nacho thing.
