Pete Roberts (UK) achieved the fastest men’s individual time with 45.94 sec in the 2007 World Woolsack Championships. The event is held annually at Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK, and involves competitors racing up and down the 1 in 4 Gumstool Hill while carrying a 60 lb (27.21 kg) bag of wool on their shoulders. The original course of 280 yd (256 m) ran from The Royal Oak pub to The Crown, but since 1999 a shorter course of 240 yd (220 m) has been run.

The race is believed to have originated in the 17th century with young drovers showing off to local women by running up the hill carrying a woolsack. The woolsacks were custom built by the British Wool Federation and are 60 lb for men’s races and 35 lb for women’s. The original course of 280 yds ran from The Royal Oak to The Crown, but since 1999 a shorter course of 240 yds has been run. The official races have been run since 1972.