Chasing after a speeding wheel of cheese may not be everyone’s idea of a fun day out, but for the residents of one small village in England, hurtling down a steep hill trying to catch an escaping cheese is one of their oldest and most valued traditions. The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling festival, held in the village of Brockworth, is undoubtedly one of the United Kingdom’s weirdest events.

The crowd gathers at the top of a 90 m long slope, and on the count of three a heavy wheel of cheese is released down the hill. Contestants then hurl themselves down the bumpy incline after the cheese. No one is actually expected to catch the cheese itself, as the incredible speed it reaches within seconds of being released makes thatimpossible. However, the first person past the finish line at the bottom gets to keep the cheese as a prize.

Usually taking place on the last Monday in May, the event consists of five separate races down the hill. It won’t come as a surprise to hear that contestants are frequently hurt in pursuit of the rolling cheese. The record to beat is still 1997, when 33 people were hospitalized with sprained ankles, concussions, and broken bones. Being a spectator isn’t any safer, either. Some unlucky onlookers have been hit head-on by the runaway cheese. Fortunately, there are paramedics on standby during the event.

The cheese itself weighs 7 lbs, though for a short time after World War II an even more dangerous wooden cheese was used due to the wartime government’s food conserving policies.

The origins of the festival are believed to be linked to an ancient harvest ritual dating back hundreds of years, although no one is quite sure exactly when or why the event began.

For the past two years the event has been officially canceled due to safety concerns and the growing number of people who want to participate. However, this has not stopped some faithful cheese-chasing enthusiasts from hosting their own unofficial cheese-rolling. The locals’ passion for keeping their rather eccentric tradition alive is, evidently, a very difficult thing to suppress.

追逐圓滾滾的飛奔起司，可能不是每個人理想中的歡樂郊遊行程，但是對英格蘭一個小村莊裡的居民而言，在陡峭的山坡上，跌跌撞撞地向下俯衝，試著追捕企圖逃脫的起司，是他們深具價值的古老傳統。庫伯斯丘的滾起司節，在布洛克沃茲的村莊裡舉行，無疑是英國最奇特的一項活動。

群眾聚集在90公尺長斜坡的山頂上，數到三， 一塊沉重的圓形起司滾下山坡，之後參賽者沿著顛簸的斜坡全速俯衝而下，追逐那塊起司。起司在短短幾秒內達到極速，根本不可能有人能夠追得上。不過，第一個通過終點線的人可以把起司抱回家當獎品。

每年五月的最後一個星期一，這個盛會在山坡上舉行，一共有五場比賽。在追逐滾動的起司過程中，參賽者受傷的消息時有所聞。在1997 年創下最多人受傷的紀錄，一共有33人因為腳踝扭傷、腦震盪以及骨折住院。當個旁觀者也未必安全，有些倒楣的圍觀民眾被逃亡的起司打個正著，好在現場有醫護人員全程待命。

起司本身重達七磅，然而第二次世界大戰後有段時間，由於政府的存糧計畫，曾使用過更危險的木造起司來比賽。

雖然沒有人能確知這個慶典起於何時，又是為了什麼原因，一般相信是跟古老的豐收慶典有關，可追溯至幾百年前。

過去兩年，基於安全考量以及欲參加的人數日益增多，這個活動已經被官方明令禁止，但卻無法阻止一些忠誠的追起司狂熱者。他們自行舉辦非官方的追起司比賽。當地居民對於保存本身古怪傳統的熱誠，顯然是難以壓抑的。