Carried to victory
best.”
Couples from more than a dozen countries, including Australia, France and Germany, took part in the annual race in the central Finnish municipality of Sonkajarvi, 300 miles north of Helsinki, the capital.
The rules stipulate that the woman must be older than 17 and weigh at least 108 pounds. Despite the event’s name, couples don’t have to be married, and organizers say male contestants could “steal a neighbor’s wife” if they don’t have a female companion.
The event is inspired by a Finnish legend, “Ronkainen the Robber.” In the 19th century tale, a gang pillages villages and steals the women. The length of the obstacle course is said to be the distance needed to avoid being shot by pursuers.
Though the sport might have its origins in a dark legend, for participants it’s just lighthearted fun and the women seem as enthusiastic as the men.
Revived in 1992, the tradition now has men carry their teammate in various ways, though a popular method is for the woman to hang upside-down on the back of the male contestant with her legs around his shoulders.
The popularity of wifecarrying races has spread outside Finnish borders, with national competitions held in Australia, Poland, England and the United States. Even China has announced it will be organizing its first national edition in August with the winners traveling to Finland to compete in the world championships.
“It’s summertime and we just want to have some fun together,” said Eero Pitkanen, the competition’s founder. “It’s great to see our small town put on the map because of this.”
Along with the pride that comes from being crowned world champions, the couple also go home with the wife’s weight in beer.