A Canadian woman has won a historic cheese-rolling race in the United Kingdom — despite being knocked unconscious in the process.
Delaney Irving, 19, was chasing after a 7lb wheel of Gloucester cheese on Monday when she tripped and fell, hitting her head. She didn’t realize she won the race until she later woke up in a medical tent.
“I still don’t really believe it, but it feels great,” the teen told the BBC of her unlikely victory.
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Race is a famed event that takes place in Gloucester, England each spring, with participants running down a steep 180-meter hill chasing a wheel of cheese, which can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.
The event has taken place annually for around 600 years, according to local folklore, and now draws competitors from across the globe. Multiple races are held over the course of the day.
Video of Irving’s victory quickly went viral on Monday, with the graphic footage showing her hitting her head before falling over the finish line.
“I remember running, then bumping my head, and then I woke up in the tent,” Irving recalled.
Irving was just one of many competitors who were tended to by paramedics on the scene. One participant had to be transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
Due to the steep and uneven nature of Cooper’s Hill, the annual cheese-rolling race has long sparked safety concerns, with dozens of participants hospitalized over the years.
Still, the danger doesn’t deter thrill-seeking cheese lovers from partaking in the annual event.
Manchester man Matt Crolla, 28, also won one of Monday’s races and admitted that he was “an idiot” for taking part in the perilous race.
“I don’t think you can train for it, can you? It’s just being an idiot,” he humorously told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Japanese man Ryoya Minami admitted he traveled all the way from his home country just to partake in the rolling race.
When asked about his motivation, Minami simply told the BBC: “I love cheese.”
At least one American man was also among the competitors.
Cooper Cummings came all the way from Washington to Gloucester, and while he didn’t nab a wheel of cheese, he told the BBC it was worth it simply to see the strange yearly ritual take place.
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