Couples jumped over logs and trudged through the mud to compete in the 18th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship in Maine.

A couple from Virginia won the contest which earned them 12 cases of Goose Island beer and $630 in cash.

Jake and Kirsten Barney, from Lexington, Virginia, beat the second-placed finish they achieved during last year's event to finish first this time round.

Jake had to carry his wife on his back as he made it through water and mud and jumped over logs.

The event is based on the Finnish legend of “Ronkainen the Robber,” whose gang pillaged villages and took the women.

Couples do not need to be married to compete and can choose who carries whom, though most often it is the men who carry women.

 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.