LONDON (AP) — Having and holding took on new meaning for about two dozen couples who tested their relationships on a grassy hill in southern England.
Wives and girlfriends held on for dear life as their partners carried them up and down a hill to Britain Woman wearing Raceone of the country’s quirkiest annual sporting events.
On Sunday, Teemu Touvinen and Jatta Leinonen from Finland were crowned winners in 1 minute and 45 seconds. Their price? A barrel of local beer.
The awkward run in Dorking, Surrey, is said to have been inspired by a 19th century Finnish legend about a gang that plunders villages and steals the women.
Nowadays the emphasis is on light-hearted fun. Silly costumes are encouraged, and racers can be men or women carrying anyone over the age of 18 and weighing at least 50 kilograms. Those under that weight must carry a backpack filled with flour or water to bring them up to the minimum weight.
“You don’t have to bring your own wife. It can be someone else’s. Or a partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister or brother,” the organizers said. “They should ideally weigh less than you.”
Couples can choose their carrying technique, although most participants preferred the traditional ‘Estonian hold’, where the ‘woman’ hangs upside down on the wearer’s back with their legs crossed in front of his face.
Participants ran up and down a gently sloping hill, clearing obstacles like low rows of hay bales and throwing buckets of water at them for good measure. The course is 380 meters long – “a long way considering the conditions,” the organizers noted.
Although still niche, the Scandinavian sport has a following in Britain, the 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 finished just four seconds behind the winners, will represent Great Britain at the World Woman Carrying Championships in Finland in July.
