Kansas woman wins annual trans-Atlantic pancake race

LIBERAL, Kan. – A pancake-flipping Kansas teacher has bested her trans-Atlantic competitors to win an annual Shrove Tuesday tradition.

The High Plains Daily Leader reports that Maggie Lapinski ran the 415-yard (380 metre) Liberal, Kansas, leg of the race with a time of 62.98 seconds. That was almost 7 seconds faster than Amy Butler, who ran a similar race in Olney, England, with a time of 70 seconds. Contestants must carry a pancake in a frying pan and flip it at the beginning and end of the race.

The race began in Olney in the 15th century. In 1950, Liberal challenged Olney to an international competition.

Lapinski, who coaches cross country, also won the Liberal leg of the race in 2017, but a winner couldn’t be determined because of a technical glitch in Olney.

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Information from: High Plains Daily Leader, Liberal, Kan., http://www.highplainsleader.com