Maine couple Jesse Wall and Christina Arsenault won the 15th North American Wife Carrying Championship on Saturday.
Fifty couples raced along a 278-yard (254 meter) course with the women mostly clinging upside down to the men’s backs. The race, which originated in Finland, is intended to evoke the spirit of a legendary Finnish brigand, Rosvo-Ronkainen, who made those who wanted to join his gang run through a forest carrying heavy sacks on their backs.
In the modern version, couples race along a track, tackling mud, a pool and hurdles, with the men carrying the women on their backs. According to organizers, most “wives” are volunteers.
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