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 The annual event, now in its 15th year, held at the base of a
grassy ski mountain at the Sunday River resort in Maine had all the
trappings of a serious competition.
There were fit competitors in numbered bibs, a precision clock and a
winners podium, but from the moment the announcer declared "saddle
up!" as signal for the couples, it was clear this competition was as
whimsical as they come.
Competitor John Lund sported big spikes protruding from shoulder
pads, studded wristbands and a skeleton mask.
"The people in Finland put together this event because they felt
there should be at least one news story in the year that makes
people laugh," said Lund, who spent four years in Finland, the
birthplace of wife-carrying as a modern sport.
The competition began there in the 1990s and was inspired loosely by
the legend of a 19th century outlaw who tested the mettle of his
gang of robbers by having them run an obstacle course with a woman
on their backs.
The sport has since gained enthusiasts around the world. The event
on Saturday in Maine was one of several official qualifying
competitions for the international championship in Finland, with the
others held in Australia, Sweden and Estonia.
For all the oddities of the Maine event, the 278-yard course in the
shape of a horseshoe presented a grueling challenge to competitors,
who ran up and down a steep slope, surmounted log hurdles and
charged through a pit filled knee-high with muddy water.
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Nearly every team employed the "Estonian carry," in which the woman
hangs head down with her legs hooked around the man's neck and her
arms around his waist, which frees his hands.
Despite the competition's name, the couple does not need to be
married.
The winners on Saturday were Jesse Wall, a gym owner, and his friend
Christina Arsenault. Under the rules of the game, they won
Arsenault's weight in beer and five times the numerical value of her
weight in cash.
Asked what he planned to do with the 10 cases of beer, Wall looked
around and said, "Share it with everyone here."
(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis, Frank McGurty and W Simon)
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