WASHINGTON (Amazing America) — It’s a battle over breakfast that pits America against the British, but this competition isn’t about Independence — it’s about flapjacks.

It’s the annual International Pancake Day Race between women of the small Kansas panhandle city of Liberal and those in Olney, England. This marks the 77th year of the race.

Most of us know about the annual French-inspired Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. But the pancake day race is an English-inspired Shrove Tuesday celebration. Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday are celebrated on the day before Lent, the 40 days of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter Sunday.

Twenty-five flapjack flipping runners take part in the 1950 race in{ } { }Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. (Courtesy: AP/Eddie Worth)

The annual celebration features women racing 415 yards down the street while flipping pancakes. While hilariously entertaining, it is also a source of heartwarming hometown pride, as the community of Liberal comes together for a homecoming of sorts. Similar festivities happen across the pond in Olney, England, where the tradition is said to date back to 1445.

This photo was taken in Liberal during one of the early 1950s races. (Courtesy: International Pancake Day Hall of Fame)

The friendly flapjack competition, set for Feb. 17, 2026, traces its roots to Olney, England, more than 600 years ago. Legend has it that in 1445, a woman was busy using cooking fats — which were forbidden during Lent — when she heard the church bells ringing, calling townspeople to Shrove Tuesday services.

Local school boys run before the annual Shrove Tuesday women’s trans-Atlantic pancake race in the town of Olney, England.
(Courtesy: AP/Matt Dunham)

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In a rush, she grabbed her required headscarf and ran 415 yards to church, still wearing her apron. In the years that followed, neighbors joined in to see who could reach the church first and receive a “Kiss of Peace” from the bell ringer.

1955 newspaper clipping from the Kansas City{ } Times of Mrs. Binnie Dick getting a “Kiss of Peace” from the bell ringer, British Consul H.J. Legg, after she won the pancake race (Courtesy: Newspapers.com){ }

In 1950, community leader R.J. Leete saw a magazine article about the English race and reached out to a vicar in Olney. He challenged the Olney women to race against the women of Liberal, Kansas, and the annual competition was born. Liberal has 42 wins under its spatulas, while the women of Olney flipped their way to 31 wins over the decades. A few races didn’t count because of unusual circumstances.

The first event was sponsored by the local Jaycees community organization in 1950.{ } event. (Courtesy: International Pancake Day Hall of Fame)

Today, International Pancake Day in Liberal is celebrated for nearly a week with scavenger hunts, flapjack-eating contests, a church service, a parade, and an international video call between the two cities. If you miss it this year, mark your calendar for next year.

How do you top your pancakes? Tell us whether syrup is your go-to or if you prefer something else.

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Arizona certainly earned its No. 1 ranking with a 23-0 record and eight Quad 1 wins.

But facing Kansas in front of a deafening crowd at Allen Fieldhouse Monday night was a different beast. Despite leading by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Wildcats took their first loss of the season, falling 82-78 to the No. 9 Jayhawks.

Kansas big man Flory Bidunga and guard Melvin Council Jr. led the Jayhawks with 23 points apiece, while forward Bryson Tiller scored 18 and Jamari McDowell added 10. What made the win even more impressive was that Kansas did so without potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson, who was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Kansas is obviously better with Peterson, but he knew it’d be a dogfight no matter who suited up because Kansas has a lot of good players and a great coach. Lloyd said he found out about 10 minutes before the game that Peterson wouldn’t play, but didn’t make many adjustments to the game plan.

Lloyd highlighted two areas as the main reasons for Arizona’s first loss of the season. First, the Wildcats didn’t finish well enough at the rim, going 7-for-16 (43.7%) on layups and 26-for-57 (45.6%) on 2-point attempts –– roughly 10% worse than their season-long 2-point percentage.

Lloyd credited Bidunga for his interior defense against one of the nation’s best front courts with Koa Peat, Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka.

“I wish he was guarding our guards,” Lloyd said of Bidunga. “He really impacts the game at the rim.”

The second crucial factor was the free throw shooting disparity, according to Lloyd. Across 24 games this season, Arizona averages 26.3 free throw attempts while allowing just 17.9 free throw attempts to its opponents. The Wildcats also have a 73% to 69.1% advantage in free throw percentage on the season compared to its opponents.

But on Monday, Arizona finished 8-for-14 (57.1%) at the line, while Kansas made 21-of-25 (84%) free throws. That wasn’t necessarily a critique of the officiating, rather the way his team fared against Kansas’ defense.

“If you want to win these games, you got to deliver. You got to deliver when you get the ball inside,” Lloyd said. “You got to be able to play through physical contact. You got to be able to play through what you think are fouls, and you just got to keep it moving.”

Lloyd also pointed out that Kansas weathered Arizona’s run well at the start of the second half, when the Wildcats jumped out to an 11-point lead. Kansas immediately responded with a 7-0 run of its own in just over one minute of play, putting itself right back into the game.

Lloyd then thought the Jayhawks did a good job of putting their heads down and getting to the basket, and that Bidunga made a few key hook shots in the second half along with grabbing loose balls. And in a tight, back-and-forth game, Kansas sealed it by hitting clutch free throws down the stretch.

With this win, Kansas coach Bill Self remained undefeated in Big Monday games at Allen Fieldhouse, which featured a raucous crowd. That certainly played a role in the outcome, too.

“Awesome environment, and it makes it really difficult to play,” Lloyd said. “And you guys need to know it does impact the game, and your fans deserve credit. … If a guy is [40-0] on his home court on Big Mondays, it’s probably pretty hard to win here, no matter what our record coming in is.”

Lloyd maintained a positive outlook on the season despite Monday’s loss, which could serve as a valuable learning lesson. Arizona has a home game against No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday, and with a win, it’d make a compelling case to remain as the No. 1 team in the nation. No. 2 Michigan also has one loss, and it came at home against an unranked, 16-7 Wisconsin team.

“We knew it’s going to be a tough game, and we’re okay with it,” Lloyd said. “Like guys, I’m not mad we lost. I can’t wait to get on that plane, get back home, and I feel like our season just started.”

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