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Rolling out cheese for unusual race on hill

In the past nearly 20 years, England has held the Cheese Rolling race at Cooper's Hill with some regularity almost every year, typically on the last Saturday in May, with a Master of Ceremonies presiding over the unusual event.

It has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring. The event has grown a bit beyond that to attract international attention in the past few years.

Several thousand people get together and watch roughly 20-40 contestants chase an 8-pound wheel of cheese down a very steep hill (about 90 meters) in the English countryside. There are typically five downhill races -- four for men, one for women.