A unique sporting tradition brought together approximately two dozen couples in southern England this weekend, where relationships faced the ultimate endurance test on a challenging hillside course.
Partners gripped tightly as they were hauled up and down a slope during the U.K. Wife Carrying Race, marking another year of one of Britain’s most unusual annual competitions.
Finnish competitors Teemu Touvinen and Jatta Leinonen claimed victory on Sunday with a time of 1 minute and 45 seconds, earning themselves a barrel of locally brewed ale as their reward.
The peculiar race held in Dorking, Surrey draws its origins from a 19th-century Finnish tale involving raiders who would storm villages and abduct women.
Today’s event focuses purely on entertainment and humor. Participants are encouraged to don amusing outfits, and the competition welcomes male or female carriers transporting anyone aged 18 or older who weighs at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds). Those below the weight requirement must add a backpack filled with flour or water to meet the minimum standard.
“You do not have to carry your own wife. It could be someone else’s. Or a mate, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister or brother,” organizers said. “They should ideally weigh less than you do.”
Teams may select their preferred carrying method, although most participants opted for the classic “Estonian Hold,” positioning the carried person upside-down across the carrier’s back with legs wrapped around their face.
Participants navigated up a moderately inclined hill and returned downward, maneuvering around barriers including low hay bale rows while enduring water bucket splashes along the way. The 380-meter (416-yard) track presents “a long way under the circumstances,” according to event organizers.
Though remaining a specialty interest, this Scandinavian-origin sport has gained popularity across the U.K., United States, Australia, Poland and additional nations. England’s version of the competition began in 2008.
British champions Edward Nash and Kathryn Knight, who finished merely 4 seconds after the winning team, earned the right to compete for the U.K. at July’s World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland.
