The event involves competitors navigating through water, jumping over logs, and trudging through mud while carrying their partner like a sack of potatoes. Originating from a 19th-century Finnish legend about “Ronkainen the Robber,” the competition traditionally featured men carrying women. However, in modern times, participants don’t need to be married or adhere to traditional gender roles.
During the event at Sunday River ski resort, one pair dressed as Mr. Incredible and his “wife” in pink joined others cheered on by crowds along the 254-meter course. Most contestants use a technique where the “wife” is carried like a backpack, upside down, allowing the carrier’s arms to remain free for agility.
The champions’ prize includes the “wife’s” weight in beer and five times her weight in cash, calculated by balancing her on a scale against cases of beer. Wade Porterfield from Cuba, New York, who competed with his wife Sara, remarked, “We come every year for the fun.”
