Olney, England (The Starting Line)
I Coached a Pancake for the Olney Pancake Race
In Olney, England, women race through town with frying pans on Shrove Tuesday. I couldn't run. So I coached a pancake.
On Shrove Tuesday in Olney, England, local women race 415 yards through town in aprons and headscarves, holding frying pans with pancakes in them. Tradition says the race began in 1445. Only local women can run, so I coached a pancake.
My Team Talk
“Listen to me, pancake. You’re going on a journey. Four hundred and fifteen yards. Through town. In a frying pan.”
“At the start, you get flipped. Stay calm. Go up, come down, land flat. Don’t look at the crowd.”
“At the finish, you get flipped again. Same thing. Up, down, flat. That’s the whole job.”
“And most of all, believe in yourself. You’re not just a pancake. You’re breakfast.”
The Result
My pancake was flipped at the start, carried all 415 yards and flipped again at the finish. It never fell out once. The runner did all the running, to be fair. I did all the talking.
This year’s winner took the title for the third time, and three wins means you can’t enter again. I think that’s very fair. Three is plenty. My pancake has one win, in my opinion, and it’s retiring on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the winner get?
Traditionally, a kiss of peace from the verger, who helps run the church. My pancake got a round of applause.
Does anyone else run it?
Liberal, a town in Kansas, runs the same race on the same day, and the two towns compare times. Liberal won this year, by about a second.