The ladies from Liberal, Kansas, claimed their third straight win in the International Pancake Race, beating the female entrants from Olney, England, in the event’s 77th year.
Hannah McCarter won the Kansas portion of the International Race, crossing the finish line in just more than a minute.
The Pancake Day Race and the celebration surrounding International Pancake Day is held annually on Fat Tuesday.
It’s a tradition for Olney that goes back centuries; Liberal joined the fun in 1950.
Legend has it that it all began in 1445 when an Olney woman was making pancakes at home when she heard the church bells ring. To make sure she wasn’t late for mass, she ran to the church, still wearing her apron and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it.
In 1950, Liberal challenged Olney in the pancake race after seeing the English event in a magazine. Female competitors race remotely, determining who can run the 415 yards the fastest, skillet in hand, while flipping a pancake.
The International Pancake Day Race is the headliner for a Fat Tuesday celebration in Liberal featuring several contests and a pancake feast.
Shrove Tuesday traditions for Christians began as a way to use up rich and fatty ingredients before Lent, which begins the following day on Ash Wednesday.