Hundreds of thrill-seekers descended Monday on one notorious hill near a small town in the southwest of England for an unusual annual tradition: a cheese rolling contest.

The traditional British competition sees participants hurl themselves down a hill to chase a wheel of cheese.

A series of races featured daring competitors hurling themselves down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire in pursuit of a four-kilogram wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.

The winner is the first to cross the finish line at the bottom of the steep 180-metre hill with a 26.6-degree incline.

The event, which dates back to the nineteenth century, saw German YouTuber Tom Kopke emerge the overall winner for a second year in a row.

The final men’s downhill race of the day was won by New Zealander Byron Smith.

"Oh, it feels great… Tom Kopke is a very quick guy, I didn't want to race him again, so I went in the third race and I'm happy I did," Smith said after his race.

The annual race is notorious for its high risk of injury. Participants suffer a range of harm, from broken limbs to concussions.

Despite the dangers, organisers maintain that no fatalities have ever been recorded, and all competitors are required to acknowledge that they take part at their own risk.

The first written evidence of the event dates back to 1826, but the tradition was established long before – some suggest perhaps as a pagan ritual. (Reuters)