Wife carrying (Finnish:eukonkanto orakankanto,Estonian:naisekandmine,Swedish:kärringkånk) is a contest in which competitors race while each carrying a partner. Whilst most teams consist of a man carrying a woman there are generally no rules about gender or marital status. The objective is for the runner to carry their team-mate through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced in 1992 inSonkajärvi,Finland.
Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, afireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style ("wife" upside-down on his back with their legs over the neck and shoulders).
Eukonkanto originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down of a man namedHerkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (akaRonkainen the Robber[1]). This man was thought to be a robber in the late 1800s who lived in a forest. He supposedly ran around with his gang of thieves causing harm to villagers. From what has been found, there are three ideas as to why/how this sport was invented. Firstly, thatRosvo-Ronkainen and his thieves were accused of stealing food and abducting women from villages in the area he lived in, then carrying these women on their backs as they ran away (hence the "wife" or woman carrying). The second suggestion is that young men would go to neighbouring villages, andabduct women to forcibly marry, often women who were already married. These wives were also carried on the backs of the young men; this was referred to as "the practice of wife stealing". Lastly, is the idea thatRosvo-Ronkainen trained his thieves to be "faster and stronger" by carrying big, heavy sacks on their backs, from which this sport evolved. Though the sport is often considered a joke, competitors take it very seriously, just like any other sport.[2]
Wife carrying contests have taken place in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK and other parts of the world besides Finland and nearby Sweden, Estonia and Latvia, and the sport has a category in theGuinness Book of Records.[3][4][5]
The original course was a rough, rocky terrain with fences and brooks, but it has been altered to suit modern conditions. There is now sand instead of full rocks, fences, and some kind of area filled with water (a pool). These are the following rules set by the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee:
The most important rule is to have fun when carrying a wife
The length of the official track is 253.5 metres (832 ft).
The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle about one metre deep.
The wife to be carried may be your own, or the neighbour's, or you may have found her further afield; the wife must, however, be over 17 years of age.
The wife is a gender free term that is used over the carried person (Gender rule changed in February 2023)
The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49kilograms (108 lb). If she weighs less than 49 kg, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to bring the total load to be carried up to 49 kg.
All participants must enjoy themselves.
The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier and a helmet worn by the carried.
The contestants run the race two pairs at a time, so each heat is a contest in itself.
Each contestant takes care of his/her safety and, if deemed necessary, insurance.
The contestants have to pay attention to the instructions given by the organizers of the competition.
There is only one category in the World Championships, and the winner is the couple who completes the course in the shortest time.
Also, the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier will be awarded a special prize.
While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules and prizes do vary for each competition.
The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually inSonkajärvi, Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight inbeer).[6][7]
The Sonkajärvi Wife Carrying Ltd (Sonkajärven Eukonkanto Oy in Finnish) owns the trade mark Wife Carrying (Eukonkanto in Finnish) and has official partners globally who have the right to hold licensed wife carrying competitions.
The United Kingdom Wife Carrying Race was established in 2008, though the "sport" is claimed to have taken place "with help from our Scandinavian cousins" for around 1200 years from 793AD when Viking raiders raided villages and abducted wives.[21] Winners:
2008 – Joel Hicks carrying Wendy Cook
2009 – Matt Evans carrying Jatinder Gill (the prize was their combined weight in beer - 120 kg)
2010 – John Lund carrying Rosa Fenwick
2011 – Sam Trowbridge carrying Nathalie
2012 – Tom Wilmot carrying Kirsty Wilmot
2013 – Mike Witko carrying Lindsey Finn (Witko went on to take third place carrying Hattie Archer in the World Championships in Finland)
2014 – Rich Blake Smith carrying his actual wife Anna Smith (they went on to finish second in the world wife carrying championships in 2014 - the highest placing for a British couple).
2015 – Jonathon Schwochert carrying Charlotte Xiong (this race also saw Joel Hicks carrying "Tiny Tina" a male friend in drag who was 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) and 140 kg)
2016 – Jonathan Schwochert carrying Charlotte Xiong (this race saw Joel Hicks carrying two wives simultaneously but coming last)
TheUS 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 inMonona, Wisconsin,Minocqua, Wisconsin andMarquette, Michigan.
North American champions Ehrin and April Armstrong were featured as guests on a first-season episode ofGSN's revival ofI've Got a Secret.
BBC PresentersMike Bushell andSteph McGovern reversed the roles when they took part in the UK annual wife-carrying competition in 2013, she carried him. Bushell said this was a first.[24]
Margo Uusorg and Sandra Kullas hold the world record time for this competition, finishing the 253.5-metre course in 56.9 seconds in 2006.[25]
The main characters in the 2018 filmFather of the Year enter (and win) a wife-carrying contest. 2016 North American Wife Carrying Champions Elliot and Giana Storey were featured as stunt extras in the wife carrying scene.
Elliot Storey and Giana Storey appeared on an episode of “Live with Kelly” on October 29, 2016.
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