Wife-carrying

Wife carrying (Finnish: eukonkanto or akankanto, Estonian: naisekandmine, Swedish: kärringkånk) is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female partner. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced in 1992 at Sonkajärvi, Finland.

Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, a fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders).

History

Eukonkanto originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down of a man named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (aka Ronkainen 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, that Rosvo-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, and abduct 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 that Rosvo-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 the Guinness Book of Records.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Rules

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 49 kilograms (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 in Sonkajärvi, Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight in beer).^[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.

World champions

1997 – Jouni Jussila (Finland) and Tiina Jussila (Finland), 65.0 seconds.^[8]
1998 – Imre Ambos (Estonia) and Annela Ojaste (Estonia), 69.2 seconds.^[9]
1999 – Imre Ambos (Estonia) and Annela Ojaste (Estonia), 64.5 seconds.
2000 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Birgit Ulrich (Estonia),^[10] 55.5 seconds.
2001 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Birgit Ulrich (Estonia), 55.6 seconds.^[11]
2002 – Meelis Tammre (Estonia) and Anne Zillberberg (Estonia), 63.8 seconds.
2003 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Egle Soll (Estonia), 60.7 seconds.^[12]
2004 – Madis Uusorg (Estonia) and Inga Klauso (Estonia), 65.3 seconds.^[13]
2005 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Egle Soll (Estonia), 59.1 seconds.^[14]
2006 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Sandra Kullas (Estonia), 56.9 seconds.^[15]
2007 – Madis Uusorg (Estonia) and Inga Klauso (Estonia), 61.7 seconds.^[16]
2008 – Alar Voogla (Estonia) and Kirsti Viltrop (Estonia), 61.9 seconds.^[17]
2009 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 62.0 seconds.^{[citation needed]}
2010 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 64.9 seconds.^{[citation needed]}
2011 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 60.7 seconds.^[18]
2012 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 61.2 seconds.
2013 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 65.0 seconds.^[19]
2014 – Ville Parviainen (Finland) and Janette Oksman (Finland), 63.7 seconds.
2015 – Ville Parviainen (Finland) and Sari Viljanen (Finland), 62.7 seconds.
2016 – Dmitry Sagal (Russia) and Anastasia Loginova (Russia), 62.7 seconds.
2017 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 68.6 seconds.
2018 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas (Lithuania) and Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania), 65.1 seconds.
2019 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas (Lithuania) and Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania), 66.7 seconds.
2020 – Event not held
2021 – Event not held^[20]
2022 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Katja Kovanen (Finland), 67.4 seconds.
2023 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Katja Kovanen (Finland), 66.4 seconds.
2024 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas (Lithuania) and Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania), 63.5 seconds.

Countries

Australia

Australian Wife Carrying Championships have been held annually since 2005.

2005 – Australian Champions: Anthony Partridge & Angela Cafe
2006 – Australian Champions: Kal Baker & Kelly Smith
2007 – Australian Champions: Anthony Partridge and Angela Moore
2008 – Australian Champions: Jason Doyle & Lyneece Garland
2009 – Australian Champions: Anthony Partridge & Kath Whalan
2010 – Australian Champions: Anthony Partridge & Kath Whalan
2011 – Australian Champions: Michael & Emma Blenman
2012 – Australian Champions: Beau Mynard & Ellie Gresham
2013 – Australian Champions: Amiee & Jamie Graham
2014 – Australian Champions: Jade Cupitt & Luke Papworth
2015 – Australian Champions: Jess McCallum & Ben Gregg
2016 – Australian Champions: Adrian and Amanda Betts
2017 – Australian Champions: Adam Cullen & Tylee Robinson
2018 – Australian Champions: Dylan Hedges & Alana Flemming
2019 – Australian Champions: Nicholas Metcalf & Jess Codrington
2022 – Australian Champions: Nick & Ashleigh Topham
2023 – Australian Champions: Elliott Earnshaw and Adelaide Taylor

North American

The North American Wife Carrying Championships takes place every year since 1999 on Columbus Day Weekend in October at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine.

2016 – Elliot and Giana Storey (Maine)
2017 – Jake and Kirsten Barney (Virginia)
2018 – Jesse Wall and Christine Arsenault (Maine)
2019 – Olivia and Jerome Roehm (Delaware)
2020 – Olivia and Jerome Roehm (Delaware)
2021 – Olivia and Jerome Roehm (Delaware)
2022 – Caleb Roesler and Justine Roesler

United Kingdom

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]

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 (Mike went on to take 3rd place carrying Hattie Archer in the World Championships in Finland)
2014 – Rich Blake Smith carrying his actual wife Anna Smith. (Rich and Anna 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 7'4" and 22 stone)
2016 – Jonathan Schwochert carrying Charlotte Xiong (this race saw Joel Hicks carrying two wives simultaneously but coming last)
2017 – Jack McKendrick carrying Kirsty Jones
2018 – Chris Hepworth carrying Tanisha Prince^[22]
2019 – Chris Hepworth carrying Tanisha Prince
2020 – Mark Threlfall carrying Cassie Yates
2021 – Event not held
2022 – Alex Bone carrying Millie Barnham
2023 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas carrying Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania)
2024 – Stuart Johnson carrying Hattie Cronin

United States

The US 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 in Monona, Wisconsin, Minocqua, Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan.

In popular culture

North American champions Ehrin and April Armstrong were featured as guests on a first-season episode of GSN's revival of I've Got a Secret.
BBC Presenters Mike Bushell and Steph McGovern reversed the roles when they took part in the UK annual wife-carrying competition in 2013, she carried him. The male presenter said this was a first.^[23]
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.^[24]
The main characters in the 2018 film Father 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.

References

^ Wife-carrying is a thing in Finland, SCMP, 8 July 2018
^ English, Nick (16 November 2016). "Wife Carrying Is the Latest Strength Sport for Couples". BarBend. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
^ "The Strange Sport of Wife Carrying | bettor.com". Archived from the original on 19 February 2011.
^ Thomas, Guy. "Wife Carrying World Championship". Funny Jokes.
^ "Maine couple wins North American Wife Carrying Championship at Sunday River Ski Resort".
^ Jurvetson, Steve (29 September 2004), World "Wife Carry" Championships, retrieved 17 March 2021
^ Herring, Cady (25 July 2017). "Plantation couple win beer, silver medal at Wife Carrying World Championships". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
^ "Finn carries the day – and his wife – in unique race". Philadelphia Inquirer. 6 July 1997. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ Huuhtanen, Matti (4 July 1998). "Estonians take double victory in international wife carrying contest". Highbeam.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ "Estonia's clean sweep at wife-carrying". BBC News. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ Vinha, Laura (14 July 2001). "Estonians on top in wife-carrying race". Independent Online. Retrieved 11 July 2010. ^{[dead link]}
^ "Estonians romp home in wife-carrying contest". Cape Times. 7 July 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ "Estonian carries 'wife' to glory". BBC News. 4 July 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ "Estonians snatch world wife-carrying title again". ABC News Online. Reuters. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ "Estonians reign at wife-carrying championships". ABC News Online. Reuters. 2 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^ "Estonia dominates wife-carrying championships". triplem.com.au. 9 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Wives in Finland worth their weight in beer". Canada.com. 6 July 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
^ "Wife-carrying team defends title". Melbourne: The Age. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
^ The Daily Telegraph, 10 July 2013, Finland hosts annual wife-carrying world championships, retrieved 10 July 2013.
^ "Eukonkannon ohjelma". 25 May 2021.
^ "The UK Wife Carrying Race". trionium.com.
^ "UK wife-carrying contest takes place in Dorking". BBC. 8 April 2018.
^ "BBC pair swap roles for 'wife carrying' race". News UK. BBC. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
^ Glenday, Craig (2013). Guinness World Records 2014. Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 220. ISBN 9781908843159.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wife carrying.

Wife-carrying World Championship in Sonkajärvi
Wife carrying competition in the UK