Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – As far as Fat Tuesday traditions go, this one is no cake walk.

Actually, it’s a pancake race.

The annual tradition at the Washington National Cathedral celebrates the “last day of frivolity before Lent.”

Clergy, school students and staff take their marks with a griddle in hand and a single pancake they have to flip.

With dozens cheering them on — or perhaps hoping for a few cheap laughs — contestants have to successfully flip their pancakes three times before crossing the finish line.

One errant flip and the racers have a choice of penalty time or reciting a pancake poem.

The tradition, which dates back to 1445 in England, is part of an effort to empty the cupboards of sugar, fat, flour and eggs before Lent begins.

Racers at the National Cathedral compete for a golden syrup bottle in each heat. The grand prize is a golden skillet.

Watch below as some talented pancake flippers take part in the annual tradition:

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