Hundreds of people participated in the annual cheese rolling extreme sporting event in England. A 7lb (3kg) Double Gloucester cheese wheel was chased down the nearly vertical Coopers Hill in Brockworth, near Gloucester by competitors. A 19-year-old Canadian woman, Delaney Irving was knocked unconscious while competing but still managed to win the women's race, reports BBC. The first race was won by Matt Crolla, 28 of Manchester. The tradition is said to be nearly 200 years old though some historians believe it is more than three times older. According to Gloucestershire Live, this year's dry weather made the ground unusually hard.

 "I'm glad I'm pretty conscious and I've not got many serious injuries," said Mr Crolla. About preparing for the race he said, "I don't think you can train for it, can you? It's just being an idiot." Another big cheese aficionado was Ryoya Minami from Japan, who was among the winners. Asked why he entered the race, he replied: "Because I love cheese."  Irving from Vancouver Island was one of the hundreds of people from all over the world who threw themselves down the steep Cooper's Hill. Delaney Irving was seen falling while pursuing the double Gloucester in a video posted on social media. Footage from the incident shows the teen landing face-first on the grassy slope, knocking herself out but still making it to the bottom of the hill first. 

She didn't realize she'd won the women's race until she awoke in the medical tent. "I remember running, then bumping my head and then I woke up in the tent. I still don’t really believe it but it feels great" she said. "I think I will (be back next year) if I see around to it, yes. Despite the injuries, I think it's worth it," she added. Krista Endrizzi, Irving's mother told Global News from her home in Nanaimo that she had no idea her daughter was competing. "She looked like a rag doll," she said of the "disturbing" footage of the fall. "And when she landed she wasn’t moving. It was not every parent’s dream. But she’s okay, so that’s all that matters." Irving has stated that she plans to defend her title in 2024. Her mother, on the other hand, is less enthusiastic. "I don't want her to repeat it. We'll keep an eye on things. "I'm going to restrain her." 

Other competitors had come from the United States and Switzerland, according to Kyla Hill of Team Cheese, the group of volunteers who help organize the event, per The Guardian. "It puts us [Brockworth village] on the map, makes us a bit famous, draws people in from over the world," Hill said. "I was talking to a couple last night who’d come over from Washington especially." Although it seems dangerous, most of us who love cheese might understand why a block of cheese is worth rolling down the hill.