Whey to go! B.C. woman wins perilous cheese-rolling race despite being knocked unconscious

Delaney Irving woke up in a medical tent with a wheel of cheese in her lap on Monday. 

She'd just competed in the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake in Gloucester, where competitors from around the world chase a wheel of cheese down a steep hill, hoping for a taste of victory. 

Irving, who lives in Nanaimo, B.C., was on a backpacking trip in the U.K. when she decided to take part in the bizarre British tradition. Racers often take a tumble down the hill, and in Irving's case, she was knocked unconscious.

"At the very top [of the hill], I was just thinking, wow, am I going to do this?" the 19-year-old told CBC.

WATCH | Delaney Irving describes her cheese-rolling experience

19-year-old B.C. woman takes home the big cheese in annual U.K. race

2 years ago

Duration 1:03

Delaney Irving took a tumble as she raced for the finish line in the 2023 Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake in Gloucester, England.

The Cooper's Hill race is held annually near Gloucester, England. People literally chase a three-kilogram wheel of Double Gloucester cheese rolling an estimated 130 km/h down a steep hill, and whoever crosses the finish line first wins — and gets to keep the cheese. 

A maximum of 25 people are allowed to compete in each race, of which there are four. Each race only lasts a few seconds.

It's tough to stay on your feet, so competitors often end up tumbling down the 180-metre course. In Irving's case, she hit her head so hard on the way down she was knocked out.

"I wasn't really sure what was going on, but I found the block of cheese was on my lap, so that's how I knew I won."

Cheese-rolling races have been held at Cooper's Hill, about 160 kilometres west of London, since at least 1826, although the sport of cheese-rolling is believed to be much older. 

It's become a worldwide phenomenon, with people travelling from all over the world to become the big cheese.

Onlooker Rod Street, who has lived in the area for decades, was there to watch racers fly down the hill. 

Though he's watched many a cheese-rolling race, he's never competed.

"Never been drunk enough," he laughed. 

He said the best way to win was to stay on the left-hand side of the hill because there are fewer rabbit holes. Street also said it's important to stay upright. His advice led last year's winner to victory. 

Irving said her strategy was to tuck up and prevent herself from breaking any bones as soon as she felt her body start to fall. 

"I'm definitely sore. I've got a lot of bruises. I think next year I just want to watch."

As It Happens6:11Canadian woman wins U.K.'s notoriously dangerous cheese-rolling race

Delaney Irving, 19, of Vancouver Island, was the fastest person to tumble down a notoriously steep hill in Gloucester, England, on Monday in pursuit of a rapidly rolling wheel of cheese. She spoke to As It Happens guest host Helen Mann about her bruise-inducing victory at the Coopers Hill Cheese-Rolling contest.