How to Attend the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling

It’s the last Monday in May on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England, and I’m standing on a frighteningly steep slope, ready to watch 25 daredevils hurl themselves down after a wheel of cheese. This is the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling. “One to be ready!” calls out the master of ceremonies at the top of the hill. “Two to be steady!” The competitors, laser-focused on the route ahead, steel themselves for the descent. As for me, spectating on the side, my shoes are sinking into loose dirt and I’m hoping I can stay upright long enough to photograph them. “Three to prepare!” At this point, the master of ceremonies throws out a seven-pound Double Gloucester cheese, wrapped in red and blue ribbons. That cheese may reach speeds of 70 miles per hour before it hits the finish line. “Four to be off!” And with that, the men leap off the hilltop and race down — slipping, falling, somersaulting, and getting up again before they’re taken down a second, a third, a fourth time. Not one of them…