by Stuart Weir
The Olney Pancake race
The annual Onley Pancake Race takes place on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day or Fat Tuesday. That is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, a Christian period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter. Making and eating pancakes is a way to use up rich foods like eggs and fats before the Lenten fast begins.
Tradition declares that the race was first run in the year 1445, pancakes at the time being a popular dish, receiving royal favor. It is unknown where the original start line was, but the finish line was at the Church door. The race continued through the centuries and, since 1948, has been held annually,
The pancake race is not open to anyone—it is women only, with the stipulation that entrants must be residents of Olney, living in Olney for at least three months prior to the race, or have a permanent home here or work in Olney. That’s quite right, too. We wouldn’t want any riff-raff from Milton Keynes or any neighboring towns corrupting it. Before the main event, elementary school children run a shorter course.
The course is 415 yards long through the town market. Runners must wear a skirt and carry a frying pan with a pancake in it. Traditionally, the pancake is tossed on the start line. The author was privileged to start some of the minor races with the time-honored words: “toss your pancake, ready, get set, go”. The starter also rings an enormous bell as he says go.
The winner of the Olney Pancake Race 2025 was Eloise Kramer, with a time of 1.07.06. The 2025 race saw 25 individual runners and 8 three-legged teams taking part. Eloise Kramer was sadly just the European winner. Since 1950 the race has been twinned with a pancake race in the town of Liberal in Kansas, USA, where they had, after seeing the press photographs of the race at Olney, conceived the idea of setting up a similar custom. In a spirit of international goodwill and friendship, the two towns now compete annually and prizes are exchanged. The race is run on a timed basis. The 2025 Liberal race was won by Pamela Bolivar in a time of 1.03.52.
RunBlogRun offers congratulations to Pamela but has concerns as to whether the wind conditions in Liberal or the undulations of the course in Liberal did not give any advantage to the American runner. And are we sure that the Liberal frying pan was not lighter than those used in Onley?
Immediately after the race, all the runners joined visitors in a Shriving Service which was held in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, bringing everyone together in a moment of communal reflection and celebration. Eloise was presented with her winner’s trophy by the Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Countess Howe. This special service always included some of the well-known Olney Hymns, penned by Rev John Newton and William Cowper such as Amazing Grace, written by John Newton when he was the priest in charge of the church and first heard on 1st January 1773. Your correspondent was the speaker at the service, being introduced as “a sports writer and sports chaplain who has worked at five Olympics, four Football World Cups but no Pancake Races!”
RunBlogRun understands that the IOC and World Athletics are considering whether a 415 yard pancake race should be included in the LA Olympics.
