Wife Carrying Is Shockingly A Real Sport That Happens In America
There are some bizarre sports in the world and this sport certainly tops the list!
Wife carrying is a historical event which originated in Finland. According to their official website, the sport started thanks to the “19th century legend of Hero Rosvo-Ronkainen, or ‘Ronkainen the Robber.’”
Historians believe that there are three reasons why the sport could have possibly been created. One idea is due to thieves who were stealing food and women from where Ronkainen lived. In order to avoid female villagers from being kidnapped, they would throw them on their backs and run away. The other reason is that men in villages close by would try to steal other men’s wives. If they successfully stole the other man’s wife, they would marry that woman. The last reason is Ronkainen would train his thieves to properly steal by training with “heavy sacks on their backs”.
This Finnish town hosts an annual 'wife carrying' championship, where husbands carry their wives upside down around a race course. pic.twitter.com/XwNk7p1LGR
— Insider International (@InsiderIntl) November 26, 2017
It wasn’t until 1992 that this wife-carrying sport would become a competition in Finland. Shockingly, the sport became popular in the area and international contestants wanted to be a part of the events. People from around the world were permitted to compete in 1995. Wife-carrying then traveled over seas and became a sport in North America in 1999.
Held every year in mid-October, competitors can join in on the North American Wife Carrying Championship at the Sunday River Resort in Maine.
A wife carrying contest? The video was hysterical! via @thrillist https://t.co/dELGwuqqK2 pic.twitter.com/c2qm0wc2yQ
— Mother's Peninsula (@Mothers_MPG) November 6, 2017
Competitors must be able to prove that they are legally married and are not allowed to wear special carrying equipment. So, don’t even start to think about how to wedge your wife into a baby bojorn! Contestants can however wear a specialty carrier belt.
The competition consists of running in courses that are 254 meters long and involve “two dry obstacles and one water obstacle”. If you happen to drop your wife, not only will your significant other be annoyed, but you will also be penalized by five seconds.
If you’re exceptional at holding your significant other, start training! You may have a secret talent you never knew existed.
Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp
