Couples compete for barrel of ale in annual ‘wife-carrying’ contest

LONDON (AP) — To have and to hold took on a new meaning for about two dozen couples who put their relationships to the test on a grassy hill in southern England.

Wives and girlfriends clung on for dear life as their partners carried them up and down a hillside for the U.K. Wife Carrying Race, one of the country’s quirkiest annual sports events.

On Sunday, Teemu Touvinen and Jatta Leinonen from Finland were crowned the winners at 1 minute and 45 seconds. Their prize? A barrel of local ale.

The awkward footrace in Dorking, Surrey is said to be inspired by a 19th-century Finnish legend about a gang that pillages villages and steals the women.

These days the emphasis is on lighthearted fun. Silly costumes are encouraged, and racers can be males or females carrying anyone over 18 and weighing at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds). Those under that weight need to wear a rucksack filled with flour or water to bring them to the minimum weight.

“You do not have to carry your own wife. It could be someone else’s. Or a mate, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister or brother,” organizers said. “They should ideally weigh less than you do.”

Couples can choose their carrying technique, though most contestants favored the traditional “Estonian Hold,” where the “wife” hangs upside-down on the carrier’s back with their legs crossed in front of his face.

Contestants raced up a gently sloping hillside and back down, clearing obstacles like low rows of hay bales and having buckets of water thrown at them for good measure. The course is 380 meters (416 yards) long — “a long way under the circumstances,” organizers noted.

While still niche, the Scandinavian sport has a following in the U.K., United States, Australia, Poland and other countries. The race in England first started in 2008.

The fastest British couple, Edward Nash and Kathryn Knight, who came just 4 seconds behind the winners, will represent the U.K. at the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland in July.