VIDEO: The Wife Carrying Championships In Finland


Last week we reported on kiiking, an extreme swing set that’s popular in Estonia and surrounding countries. That area of the world seems to breed weird sports. Perhaps the weirdest is the increasingly popular sport of wife carrying.

Guys, it’s pretty simple: hoist your wife into the air and run a race. If you make it first and don’t drop her, you win. Oh, and you have to drink beer along the way. Now I can certainly understand wanting a cold beer after such a grueling contest, but having one in the middle of the race doesn’t sound like a good idea.

You have to be seriously fit. Huge guys with tiny wives still get laid out by this race. Serious contestants need to train hard and figure out the best position for the wife. The woman has a job to do too. As one wife said, “I just hang on and follow his rhythm.” Wink, wink, nudge, nudge … say no more.

In this video by Journeyman Pictures, we get to see the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland, which draws contestants from as far away as South Korea. Check out Journeyman Pictures’ YouTube Channel for some excellent documentaries.

The next World Wife Carrying Championships is in July, so get training!