Fun, Mud, and Prizes: North American Wife Carrying Championship \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The North American Wife Carrying Championship returned to Sunday River ski resort in Maine, drawing more than 30 couples for a unique race involving water, mud, and obstacles. Competitors carried their partners through a 278-yard course, with the winners awarded the “wife’s” weight in beer and five times her weight in cash. Despite the race’s challenging terrain, the event was marked by fun, laughter, and camaraderie, with competitors dressed in creative costumes and cheered on by enthusiastic crowds.
North American Wife Carrying Championship: Quick Looks
- Obstacle Course Challenge: Couples raced through a course filled with muddy pools, logs, and uneven terrain while carrying their partners.
- Inclusive Competition: Participants didn’t need to be married or gender-specific, welcoming a wide variety of couples.
- Beer and Cash Prizes: The winning team took home the wife’s weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.
- Creative Costumes: One pair dressed as Mr. Incredible and his pink-clad partner, adding to the event’s fun and light-hearted atmosphere.
- Community Spirit: Despite the competition, participants focused on having fun, with competitors and spectators cheering each other on throughout the race.
Deep Look
The origins of this quirky competition can be traced back to a Finnish legend from the 19th century. The story involves a notorious figure named “Ronkainen the Robber” and his gang, who were said to raid villages and carry off women as spoils of war. While the tale is far from politically correct, the modern-day wife carrying event has evolved into a fun, inclusive competition that brings people together for a shared experience of teamwork and laughter.
In Finland, where the sport began, the traditional event involves male competitors carrying female partners, but in Maine’s North American version, the rules are much more flexible. Competitors don’t need to be married, nor is the event restricted to male-female pairs. On Saturday, couples of all kinds joined in the fun. One particularly memorable duo featured the carrier dressed as Mr. Incredible, while his partner—his “wife” for the day—wore an all-pink outfit. The couple, along with others, provided plenty of entertainment for the cheering crowds that lined both sides of the course.
The 278-yard (254-meter) course was anything but simple. Competitors had to splash through water, navigate uneven terrain, leap over logs, and trudge through thick mud, all while carrying their partners as quickly and safely as possible. The most popular technique was the “Estonian Carry,” where the “wife” hangs upside down on the carrier’s back, her legs wrapped around his shoulders and her arms gripping his waist. This method keeps the carrier’s arms free for better balance and agility—vital for overcoming the race’s muddy, slippery obstacles.
Despite the fun nature of the event, the competition was no walk in the park. Couples ended up wet, muddy, and tired after making their way through the challenging course, but they were met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd as they crossed the finish line. While some participants stumbled and even fell in the mud, the atmosphere was one of good humor, with teams helping each other up and continuing on.
For some participants, like Wade and Sara Porterfield from Cuba, New York, the event was more about the experience than winning. “We come each year for the fun,” Wade said. “There’s really a low chance of us winning. Pretty much everybody cheers everybody on and it’s a blast.” The camaraderie and community spirit were palpable, with participants and spectators alike joining in the excitement, even when the race got tough.
For the champions, however, the rewards went beyond just bragging rights. The winning couple took home the wife’s weight in beer, a prize determined using a see-saw scale. In this tradition, the “wife” is placed on one side of the scale, and the organizers balance out her weight with cases of beer on the other side. In addition to the beer, the winners also received five times the wife’s weight in cash—a unique and coveted prize that added an extra layer of motivation to the competition.
Although the origins of wife-carrying are rooted in an old Finnish legend, the sport has evolved into a modern-day event that celebrates togetherness, whether between spouses, friends, or partners of any kind. It’s an event where the focus is not on winning or losing but on the shared experience of tackling the course together and enjoying the camaraderie that comes with it.
For Sunday River ski resort, the wife carrying championship has become a beloved annual tradition, attracting participants from across the country. It’s a chance for people to come together, embrace the outdoors, and, of course, have a bit of fun in the mud.
Prizes and Tradition: Beer and Cash for the Champions
At the heart of the competition is the prize that sets the North American Wife Carrying Championship apart from other races. The winning couple receives the wife’s weight in beer—an unusual but celebrated reward—and five times her weight in cash. To determine the amount, the winning “wife” is placed on one side of a see-saw-like scale, and cases of beer are piled on the other side until the scale is balanced. The weight of the beer determines the cash prize, creating an incentive for the winners that adds an extra layer of excitement to the competition.
The Community and Camaraderie
While the beer and cash prizes add to the competitive edge of the event, for most participants, the joy of the race is in the experience. Whether they’re first-time competitors or seasoned veterans like the Porterfields, racers come to the North American Wife Carrying Championship to enjoy a day of laughter, challenge, and shared adventure. The event has become known for its community spirit, with competitors helping each other up when they stumble and cheering on fellow racers, regardless of who crosses the finish line first.
Even for those who don’t win, the event is a victory in itself—an opportunity to embrace the fun and unusual challenge of carrying a partner through mud and obstacles, all while being cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd. Many participants, like Wade Porterfield, return year after year, drawn by the excitement and camaraderie that make the event so special.
Fun Mud Fun Mud
