Start training now for the annual wife carrying contest in England

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The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight in beer)

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LONDON (AP) — To have and to hold took on a new meaning for about two dozen couples who put their relationships to the test on a grassy hill in southern England.

Wives and girlfriends clung on for dear life as their partners carried them up and down a hillside for the U.K. Wife Carrying Race, one of the country’s quirkiest annual sports events.

On Sunday, Teemu Touvinen and Jatta Leinonen from Finland were crowned the winners at 1 minute and 45 seconds. Their prize? A barrel of local ale.

The awkward footrace in Dorking, Surrey is said to be inspired by a 19th-century Finnish legend about a gang that pillages villages and steals the women.

These days the emphasis is on lighthearted fun. Silly costumes are encouraged, and racers can be males or females carrying anyone over 18 and weighing at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds.) Those under that weight need to wear a rucksack filled with flour or water to bring them to the minimum weight.

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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.

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