More than 30 couples vie for beer and cash in Wife Carrying Championship

Oct 14

Jack Aylmer Anchor/Reporter

By Jack Aylmer (Anchor/Reporter), Shea Taylor (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

More than 30 couples competed in the annual North American Wife Carrying Championship on Saturday, Oct. 12, in Western Maine. Competitors had to jump over logs, splash through water and slog through mud, all while carrying a partner, in hopes of claiming the grand prize.

Traditionally, the event featured male competitors carrying a woman, but for this competition, couples didn’t have to be a man and a woman or even married.

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There is some skill to the sport, most of the runners used a technique where the “wife” is carried like a backpack upside down leaving the “husband’s” arms are free to help with obstacles.

“So, I go over his shoulders and hug his back,” contestant Sara Porterfield said. “And, I don’t know there’s different ways of holding on. People do wear belts, and the women hang on to the belt, the man’s belt. But I kind of wrapped my hands around and hang on to my thighs, and it works really well. Nice secure hold.”

“Looks awkward, but works well,” Porterfield’s husband Wade added.

The winning team got the “wife’s” weight in beer and five times the “wife’s” weight in cash. To figure out how much beer that is, the winning “wife” is put on one side of a see-saw-like scale while cases of beer are put on the other until they balance out.

Tags: Maine

TRUDGING THROUGH MUD FOR BEER AND CASH?

SIGN ME UP.

MORE THAN 30 COUPLES COMPETED IN THE NORTH AMERICAN WIFE CARRYING CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY.

COMPETITORS HAD TO JUMP OVER LOGS… SPLASH THROUGH WATER.. AND SLOG THROUGH MUD – ALL WHILE *CARRYING* A PARTNER – IN HOPES OF CLAIMING THE GRAND PRIZE.

THERE IS SOME SKILL TO THE SPORT – MOST OF THE RUNNERS USED A TECHNIQUE WHERE THE “WIFE” IS CARRIED LIKE A BACKPACK UPSIDE DOWN… LEAVING THE “HUSBAND’S” ARMS ARE FREE TO HELP WITH OBSTACLES.

SARA AND WADE PORTERFIELD | PARTICIPANTS FROM CUBA, NY

Sara: “So I go over his shoulders and hug his back. And, I don’t know there’s different ways of holding on. People do wear belts and the women hang on to the belt, the man’s belt. But I kind of wrapped my hands around and hang on to my thighs, and it works really well. Nice secure hold.”

Wade: “Looks awkward, but works well.”

TRADITIONALLY – EVENT FEATURED MALE COMPETITORS CARRYING A WOMAN… BUT FOR THIS COMPETING COUPLES DIDN’T HAVE TO BE A MAN AND A WOMAN – OR EVEN MARRIED.

THE WINNING TEAM GOT THE “WIFE’S” WEIGHT IN BEER… AND FIVE TIMES THE “WIFE’S” WEIGHT IN CASH.

TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH BEER THAT IS – THE WINNING “WIFE” IS PUT ON ONE SIDE OF A SEE-SAW-LIKE SCALE WHILE CASES OF BEER ARE PUT ON THE OTHER UNTIL THEY BALANCE OUT.