125 pounds of culture

By: Lindsay Little
Posted In: News

On April 21st, men, women and children alike can be witnessed carrying sacks of coal as fast as they possibly can through the streets of Gawthorpe, Yorkshire England.

Every Easter Monday, since 1963, the citizens of Gawthorpe in Yorkshire, England have hosted the World Coal Carrying Championship. You may think being the Champion Coal Carrier is a strange title to covet, but the annual competition is very near and dear to the hearts of Gawthorpians.

The idea for a Coal Carrying Contest was conceived in a pub in England, 41 years ago, when a local patron of the bar jokingly questioned the fitness of another bar patron. The man was insulted by the words of his friend and from that moment on, the strength and fitness of the men of Gawthorpe was a serious matter.

It is now a well established tradition that people, both men and women, come from all over the world to compete in the World Coal Carrying Championship Competition. It has been noted that even an American showed up to compete one year. All are welcome to compete as long as they respect the importance of the competition and the coal carriers’ legacy.

For Safety reasons, only 30 people are allowed to participate in each event. The events are categorized by sex or age: women’s, children’s and men’s. Both the women and men have to carry the same weight of 125 lbs. of coal a distance of 1108 yards. The World Record for the men’s competition is 4 minutes and 6 seconds. The record for the women is 5 minutes and 5 seconds.

The prizes for the World Coal Carrying Championship are sponsored by a local brewery. Previous prizes awarded to the winners have included cash, trophies, a barrel of beer and free vouchers for coal. For more information regarding the World Coal Carrying Championships, visit www.visitengland.com or www.gawthorpe.ndo.co.uk. The competitions will start from the Royal Oaks Pub next month.