WIFE-CARRYING

Wife carrying is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced at Sonkajärvi, Finland.

Several types of carry may be practiced: piggyback, fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist).

Wife carrying contests are now seen in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, Estonia, the UK and other parts of the world besides Finland, and the sport has a category in the Guinness Book of Records.

The US final takes place on the second weekend of July in Menahga Minnesota (MN-St. Urho Wife Carry for Charity Challenge). Major wife-carrying competitions are also held in Monona, Wisconsin, Minocqua, Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan.

The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight in beer).

The current world champions are Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirklauskiene of Lithuania, who completed the course in 65.1 seconds.

Competitor using the fireman carry technique

Competitor using the Estonian carry technique