Wife Carrying is a unique sport in which male participants compete while carrying a female teammate. The objective of this competition is for the male to carry his female contestant through the specified obstacle within the shortest time possible. This sport was first introduced in Sonkajärvi, Finland. Although it is called Wife Carrying, males are not forced to go with their real wives.

One of The World’s Weirdest Sports

The sport started in 1992, and each year, a World Championship is held in Sonkajärvi, Finland. The fastest runner wins beer that is equivalent to his wife’s weight. After it was established, the sport involved going through a rough and rocky terrain. Nevertheless, this has been changed to make the course more friendly. Instead of huge rocks, there is sand, fences and an area with water.

History of Wife Carrying

This idea of Wife Carrying is backed up by a local history that argues it was inspired by Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, who was commonly referred to as Ronkainen the Robber. The man lived in a forest and together with his gang, they would invade the village, steal some food and women and then carry them on their back as they escaped.

Common Wife Carrying Rules

Wife Carrying observes certain rules, just like is the case with all sports. The official track has a length of 253.5 metres, with one water obstacle and two dry obstacles. The woman has to weigh at least 49 kg and in case she’s not, she’ll be given a rucksack with additional weight. The race is run by two pairs at a time. Lastly, besides Finland, the sport is also practised in Australia, Asia, United States, United Kingdom, and North America.