North American Wife Carrying Championship @ Sunday River, Maine
North American Wife Carrying Championship @ Sunday River, Maine

The North American Wife Carrying Championship happened over the weekend at Sunday River Ski Resort in Maine where couples took on a 278 yard long obstacle course including hurdles, a steep sand hill climb and muddy water pit.

How wives are carried is up to the competitors but most opt for the “Estonian Carry” where the wife goes upside down holding the husband around the waist and tightens her legs around his neck, this method allows the husband free use of his hands.

The winning couple was rewarded the wife’s weight in beer, five times her weight in cash and entry into the Wife Carrying World Championship, which will happen next summer in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

North American Wife Carrying Championship History:

The legend behind the North American Wife Carrying Championship is based on 19th century Finnish legend “Ronkainen the Robber” who had high qualifications for the men he accepted into his band.

To prove their worth, men had to compete through a difficult course with a heavy sack (or woman grabbed from neighboring villages) on their back. The first modern-day wife-carrying event was held in Finland in 1991 and foreign contestants were admitted in 1995. Qualifying events are also held in Australia, Sweden, and Estonia.

The North American Wife Carrying Championship was founded in 1999 by Sunday River, which today is the organization that owns the event and serves as the sanctioning body for the United States and Canada to determine the North American winners of the World Championships. Additional information is available on wife-carrying.org. 

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