It was cold and windy on Shrove Tuesday in Liberal, Kansas, for the 76th running of the International Pancake Race vs. Olney, England.
Pamela Bolivar of Liberal is now the back-to-back champion of the race.
Bolivar was tripped up by the banner being used as the finish-line tape, taking a hard tumble on to the brick street. After a medical evaluation by Seward County EMS personnel, she was crowned the winner with a time of 1:03.52, more than three-and-a-half seconds ahead of the British champ hours earlier.
This was the 76th competition between the women of Liberal and Olney, England, where the race traces its traditions back to the year 1445.
Lore has it a woman in Olney was cooking a pancake prior to the Shriving service when the church bell started to ring. Not wanting to be late, she ran off to church carrying her skillet in hand with the pancake still cooking. It soon became an annual event, and when the Liberal Jaycees found out about the event, they asked if Olney would be interested in a little friendly competition from America. The English agreed, and the international competition began in 1950.
Liberal now has a 42-31 lead over their English counterparts, and three races were called a draw for various reasons, including faulty time equipment, and a BBC television truck blocking the finish line in Olney.
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.