Why are people racing up a hill with a 23kg cheese?

Q: What is the Gold Hill Cheese Race?

The Gold Hill Cheese Race is an annual event where participants race up a steep hill in Shaftesbury while carrying a 23kg wheel of cheese.

Q: How steep is Gold Hill where the cheese race takes place?

Gold Hill has a gradient of 17% and is 541 feet (165 meters) long, making it a challenging course for competitors.

Q: When was the Gold Hill Cheese Race first held?

The Gold Hill Cheese Race was founded in 2012 and has been an unusual sporting challenge ever since.

Why are people racing up a hill with a 23kg cheese?

TL;DR

Competitors are racing up Gold Hill in Dorset while carrying a 23kg cheese wheel. The event, known as the Gold Hill Cheese Race, attracts hundreds of spectators and challenges participants with its steep gradient.

Key points

Competitors race up Gold Hill carrying a 23kg cheese wheel
Event attracts hundreds of spectators
Gold Hill is known as 'Hovis Hill' from a 1970s TV ad
The hill has a 17% gradient and is 541ft long
The race was founded in 2012

A man carrying a large wheel of cheese runs up Dorset's Gold Hill as spectators watch from the sidelines

Hundreds of spectators are expected to line Gold Hill to watch the race [Shaftesbury Food Festival]

Scores of competitors are lining up for an unusual sporting challenge, which sees them run up Dorset's Gold Hill carrying a 23kg (51lb) round of cheese.

The Gold Hill Cheese Race in Shaftesbury was founded in 2012 and sees up to 100 people race up the steep cobbled street, known to many as "Hovis Hill" after a 1970s TV ad.

The road is only 541ft (165m) long but its 17% gradient, cobbled surface and the added challenge of carrying a big cheese mean the contest is not for the faint-hearted.

At least 70 people have pre-registered for the heats, which start at 10:00 BST on Sunday, with the final race taking place at 14:00.

About 13 people wearing fancy dress strike silly poses beneath the finish sign at the top of Gold Hill. Among them is a man wearing a multicoloured flamenco dress and a long blond wig, a person in a King Arthur face mask with a beard and flowing grey hair and a woman in a gold top and top hat.

In previous years, many of the competitors have worn fancy dress [Georgie Faulkner-Bryant]

Competitors often wear fancy dress for the whacky race, with inflatable dinosaurs and flamenco dancers among those taking part.

The event was founded by cheese expert and World Cheese Awards lead judge Charlie Turnbull and is part of the Shaftesbury Food Festival, which is run by volunteers from the Shaftesbury Chamber of Commerce.