A 45-foot long telephone pole, dripping with grease, juts off a pier 200 feet off Gloucester’s Pavilion Beach and people just can’t wait to run it.

The world-famous greasy pole contest started Friday at St. Peter's Fiesta in Gloucester. Videos of contestants attempting to scamper across a slippery 45-foot telephone pole that juts out over Pavilion Beach have been viewed millions of times on social media.

St. Peter's Fiesta in Gloucester, Massachusetts, contestants attempt to scamper across a slippery 45-foot pole over the water to grab a flag.