The International Pancake Day Race, a tradition between Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, took place today on Shrove Tuesday.
It's the 74th year of the race in Kansas, but in Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back nearly 600 years to the year 1445.
The event kicked off in Liberal Tuesday morning with a pancake breakfast; the races started at 10:30 a.m. with the children, and the men's race followed around 11:40 a.m.
The big event the International Pancake Day Race started with the women in front of the Liberal Memorial Library at 6th Street & Kansas Avenue.
Isabelle Sullenger won the Liberal leg of the race; her time was 1:13.51.
The Olney winner was Eloise Kramer with a time of 1:05, meaning Olney wins this year’s International Pancake Day Race.
Following the race, a Shriving Service was held at First United Methodist Church at 116 W. Third, followed by a Pancake Day Parade later on in the afternoon.
The event started in the 15th Century in Olney, when a woman was making pancakes to use up her cooking fats before Lent. While making the pancakes, she heard the church bells ringing for the shriving service. She ran 415 yards to the church, skillet and pancake in hand. In the following years, it became a race as neighbors joined in to see who could make it to the church first to collect a kiss of peace from the bell ringer.
It was brought to Liberal in 1950 when a magazine showed a picture of Olney women racing to church. Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete contacted the Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Olney, Reverand Ronald Collins, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal. The prize of the race in Liberal is also a kiss of peace from the bell ringer.