He Carries Her Through the Widow Maker for Her Weight in Beer and Five Times It in Cash

The North American Wife Carrying Championship is held on Saturday 10 October at Sunday River Resort, 15 South Ridge Road, Newry, Maine.

A man races an obstacle course carrying a woman. The course has log hurdles, sand traps and a water hazard the resort calls the widow maker. Any carry is allowed, but most teams use the Estonian carry, where she goes upside down over his back with her legs around his neck.

Both partners have to be 21 or over. They do not have to be married. Qualifying heats narrow the field and the two fastest teams race head to head for the title.

The winning man takes his partner's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash. The pair also get entry to the world championship at Sonkajarvi in Finland.

The 2025 title went to Team A Over T, William and Antoinette. Jesse Wall has won the North American event twice. In Finland, Caleb Roesler won in 2025, reported as the first American to take the world title.

Sunday River started this in 1999. The sport itself began in Finland in 1991.

One detail does not resolve cleanly. Sources disagree on the anniversary number, listing the recent runnings as either the 25th or the 26th. The 1999 founding date is consistent across all of them; the count is not.