[s]Fearless competitors[/s] Stupid bastards risk life and limb to chase giant cheese
28th May 2007
Dozens of stupid bastards have taken part in one of the country's most bizarre and dangerous sporting challenges - chasing a giant cheese down a steep slope. They flipped, somersaulted and tumbled their way 200 metres down the sheer face of Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, in pursuit of the giant runaway circle of cheese. Despite heavy rain, around 3,000 people gathered on the hillside, which in places has a 1:1 gradient, to watch the five bone-crunching downhill races.
Rain didn't deter the mad competitors throwing themselves off the hill, in fact, it made the ground softer and the conditions more tolerable, and there were only 20 minor injuries reported - almost half that seen at last year's Cotswolds event. There were ghasts of amazement and shock at the speed of the races, the violence of the tumbles, and the amount of mud that flew as entrants chased after the circles of Double Gloucester cheeses. Wearing a straw hat and overall, the master of the "rolls" welcomed nearly 3,000 visitors to the event along with the world's press. Visitors were warned that one of the biggest hazards is the cheeses themselves, which can veer into the crowd at any moment as they hurtle down the imposing hill.
Jason Crowther from Pembrokeshire, west Wales, won the first race to complete a hat-trick of victories over the last three years. Clutching the 7-8lb Double Gloucester, the bruised and battered 25-year-old said: "There's no training you can do for this. You have just got to go for it. It was a bit slippery and I heard something crack, which I think was my knee. But there aren't any tactics involved as you can probably see."
Around 25 volunteers from the St John Ambulance were on hand to treat the inevitable injuries while a team from Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters were also ready to treat any medical emergencies.
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let's hear it for stupid bastards!
