Some History…

Wife Carrying is a sport 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.

The idea of the Wife Carrying Competition, in spite of its humorous aspects, has deep roots in the local Scandinavian history. In the late 1800’s there was in the area a brigand called Rosvo-Ronkainen, who is said to have accepted in this troops only those men who proved their worth on a challenging track. In those days, it was also a common practice to steal women from the neighbouring villages.

Several types of carry may be practised: 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).

The Major wife-carrying competition isheld in Sonkajärvi, Finland (where the prize is the wife’s weight in beer. The North American Champions go on to compete in the Finnish World Championship.