Wife carrying, or eukonkanto in Finnish, originated as a sport in Sonkajärvi, Finland, in

1992. The exact origins of the tradition are unknown, but each story has something to
do with theft. Today, wife carrying is practiced around the world. Participants are
allowed to carry their wives in a variety of ways — including piggyback, fireman’s carry
or Estonian-style, where the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around her
husband’s shoulders. They carry her across a 253.5-meter track riddled with obstacles.
The prize is awarded based on the wife’s weight in beer.
Wife carrying (Finnish: eukonkanto or akankanto, Estonian: naisekandmine, Swedish:
kärringkånk) is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female
teammate. Traditionally each team was composed of a husband and a wife couple,
however this is no longer standard practice. The objective is for the male to carry the
female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first
introduced at Sonkajärvi, Finland.
Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, a fireman's
carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs
over the neck and shoulders).
The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in Sonkajärvi,
Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight in beer).
Rules
The original course was a rough, rocky terrain with fences and brooks, but it has been
altered to suit modern conditions. There is now sand instead of full rocks, fences, and
some kind of area filled with water (a pool). These are the following rules set by the
International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee:

 The length of the official track is 253.5 metres.

 The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle about one metre deep.
 The wife to be carried may be your own, or the neighbour's, or you may have
found her further afield; she must, however, be over 17 years of age.
 The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kilograms. If she weighs less
than 49 kg, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to
bring the total load to be carried up to 49 kg.
 All participants must enjoy themselves.
 The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier and a helmet worn by
the carried.
 The contestants run the race two pairs at a time, so each heat is a contest in
itself.
 Each contestant takes care of his/her safety and, if deemed necessary,
insurance.
 The contestants have to pay attention to the instructions given by the
organizers of the competition.
 There is only one category in the World Championships, and the winner is the
couple who completes the course in the shortest time.
 Also, the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier
will be awarded a special prize.
While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules and prizes do vary
for each competition.
History

Wife Carrying originated in Finland, and its history is based around the 19th century
legend of Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, or “Ronkainen the Robber.” There are three
stories as to how the sport was created. First, Ronkainen and his thieves were accused
of stealing food and women from villages in the area he lived in; then carried these
women on their backs as they ran away. Second, it has been said the men would go to
villages near their own to steal other men's wives, and then have the woman become
their own wife. Third is the story that Ronkainen trained his thieves by carrying big,
heavy sacks on their backs, which could have eventually evolved to a sport.

The first modern day wife carrying event was held in Finland in 1992 and foreign
contestants were admitted in 1995. This event is now held annually in Sonkajärvi,
Finland as the World Championship. A North American Championship was started in
1999.

North American Wife Carrying Championship

Founded in 1999 at Sunday River Resort in Maine, the North American Wife Carrying
Championship has been held annually in mid-October at this location ever since.
Winners of 13 U.S. state events and two Canadian provincial events have competed in
the North American Championship. Winners have the option of competing in the World
Championships and have placed as high as fifth.

The North American Championship holds registration spots open for winners of any
sanctioned state, provincial or regional wife carrying events and provides entry to these
competitors at no cost, then opens any remaining spots for public registration. The
winning team brings home the wife's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.

North American Rules & Regulations

The North American rules and regulations for wife carrying vary slightly from the World Championship
rules on several points. The list below is the official set of rules and regulations for the North American
Championship and are followed by most state and regional qualifying events.

Competitors
1) Teammates are not required to be legally married.
2) Helmets are not required for the carried competitor. (The Worlds requires a helmet.)
3) The only special equipment allowed to be worn by the carrier is a belt, which is optional.
4) There is no minimum weight limit for the female competitor. (The Worlds set a weight limit of 49
kilograms / 108 pounds, and weight belts are used to make up any difference in weight.)
Competition
1) Competitors run the course two at a time in initial heats, with each team being timed. The two
fastest teams qualify for a final heat, which may be timed or untimed, with the winner of the final
heat being the winner of the event. Because the final heat is determined by time, qualifying teams
do not necessarily have to win their initial heat. Additional heats may be run for third place, and on.
2) If a competitor drops his teammate, their team will be penalized with five seconds added to their
time.
3) Teams may not advance on the course without the wife being carried, and will be disqualified if they
do not carry their wife the entire length of the course.
4) There is no restriction on how the female teammate is carried. Several types of carry are commonly
used including the Piggyback and Fireman's Carry (over the shoulder). However, the most popular
is the Estonian Carry in which the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's
shoulders, holding onto his waist.
Course
1) Length of course is 254 meters / 278 yards. North American courses are typically run on uneven
ground with some level of elevation change. The Worlds are run on a flat track.
2) Course design includes two dry obstacles and one water obstacle, however the specific obstacle
designs may vary by year.

Contacts & Event Sanctioning

Sunday River Resort owns the North American Wife Carrying Championship and serves as the
sanctioning body for the sport in the U.S. and Canada. To sanction a wife carrying event in the U.S. or
Canada and pre-qualify winners for the North American Championship contact Caroline Ochtera at
Sunday River.

For media inquiries regarding the North American Championship including photos and video of past
events, and press access for future events contact Karolyn Castaldo at Sunday River.

World champions
 2019 - Vytautas Kirkliauskas (Lithuania) and Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania), 66.7
seconds.
 2018 - Vytautas Kirkliauskas (Lithuania) and Neringa Kirkliauskiene (Lithuania), 65.1
seconds.
 2017 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 68.6 seconds.
 2016 – Dimitriy Sagal (Russia) and Anastasia Loginova (Russia), 62.7 seconds.
 2015 – Ville Parviainen (Finland) and Sari Viljanen (Finland), 62.7 seconds.
 2014 – Ville Parviainen (Finland) and Janette Oksman (Finland), 63.7 seconds.
 2013 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 65.0 seconds.
 2012 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 61.2 seconds.
 2011 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 60.7 seconds.
 2010 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 64.9 seconds.
 2009 – Taisto Miettinen (Finland) and Kristiina Haapanen (Finland), 62.0 seconds.
 2008 – Alar Voogla (Estonia) and Kirsti Viltrop (Estonia), 61.9 seconds.
 2007 – Madis Uusorg (Estonia) and Inga Klauso (Estonia), 61.7 seconds.
 2006 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Sandra Kullas (Estonia), 56.9 seconds.
 2005 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Egle Soll (Estonia), 59.1 seconds.
 2004 – Madis Uusorg (Estonia) and Inga Klauso (Estonia), 65.3 seconds.
 2003 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Egle Soll (Estonia), 60.7 seconds
 2002 – Meelis Tammre (Estonia) and Anne Zillberberg (Estonia), 63.8 seconds.
 2001 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Birgit Ullrich (Estonia), 55.6 seconds.
 2000 – Margo Uusorg (Estonia) and Birgit Ullrich (Estonia), 55.5 seconds.
 1999 – Imre Ambos (Estonia) and Annela Ojaste (Estonia), 64.5 seconds.
 1998 – Imre Ambos (Estonia) and Annela Ojaste (Estonia), 69.2 seconds.
 1997 – Jouni Jussila (Finland) and Tiina Jussila (Finland), 65.0 seconds.

La Tomatina — Buñol, Valencia, Spain

The Spanish Tomato Festival has run annually in August
during a weeklong celebration in Buñol since 1945, when
a rowdy crowd took the tomatoes from a vegetable stall
and started a food fight. The hour-long tomato fight used
up an estimated 145,000 kg of tomatoes in 2015. Since
2013 La Tomatina has been a ticketed event to limit
participants to just 20,000. Before then, up to 50,000
guests had been reportedly involved in the food fight.
After an hour of free-for-all tomato tossing, trucks spray
down the streets and many participants wash
themselves in the pool of “los peñones.”

La Tomatina consists of a massive tomato fight held in

the town of Buñol, 38km from Valencia, normally held the
last Wednesday of August. Approximately 30,000 people
from all over the world arrive early in the morning to fight
in the battle in which about 150,000 over-ripe tomatoes
are hurled in the streets. Bearing in mind that the normal
population of Buñol is 9,000, one can imagine that the
town is hurled into chaos for this messy festival.

Although La Tomatina has been an annual tradition in

Buñol since 1944, the exact origin of the biggest tomato
fight in the world is unknown. Some theories are that it
started as a food fight among friends, perhaps due to an
accidental lorry spillage; a class war; or that habitants
attacked the councilmen during a town celebration.
Nevertheless, what is sure is that many people joined in
the fun and enjoyed it so much that it has been
continued every year since. The festival was banned
during the dictatorship under Franco, having no political
or religious significance; but its success was proven
when it returned in the 1970s after the death of Franco.
To boost tourism the event has now grown into a
weeklong festival, which includes music, parades,
dancing and fireworks in town. Furthermore, on the night
before La Tomatina, there is a paella cooking contest.
THE FUN BEGINS / EMPIEZA LA DIVERSION
La Tomatina begins at 11am, when a ham is placed on a large, greased pole.
After one of the battling contestants rescues the ham from the top of the pole,
many trucks arrive in the Plaza del Pueblo full of over-ripe tomatoes. The
beginning of the fight is announced by the firing of a cannon. Once the fight has
begun, the Plaza del Pueblo becomes a sea of red very quickly. The locals are
prepared for the chaos and cover their homes with plastic sheeting. Those who
take part in the battle are advised to wear goggles and tomatoes must be
squished before they are thrown.
After between one or two hours, a second cannon is fired and no more
tomatoes must be thrown. The fighters slide their way through the red river of
tomato juice to the nearest public shower or local with a hose-pipe. Thoughtful
locals also throw freezing cold water from the first floors of their apartments.
Whilst the tomato fighters find their way to the Buñol river to attempt to wash off
the remains of tomato (though the clothes worn will most likely have to be
thrown away!), the locals begin an intensive cleaning session involving fire
trucks and hose-pipes, and there is no trace of tomato within a few hours!

MY EXPERIENCE AT LA TOMATINA / MI EXPERIENCIA A LA TOMATINA

I went to the Tomatina in the summer of 2004 and would recommend the
experience to anyone with a mischievous side. After an hour of watching by the
sidelines, my friends and I tried to slide nearer to the action and were
immediately accosted by a group of young Spanish lads covered in tomatoes.
Seeing that we were completely clean, they relished hammering us with
tomatoes but we held our own for the last few minutes of battle. Such a bizarre
but immensely-fun tradition, it must be seen to be believed!