One theory about the origins of this bizarre contest dates back to a time when Finnish men would supposedly sneak into neighbouring villages and steal other mens wives, hoisting them up over their shoulders and racing home as fast as they could with their prize. Nowadays, the annual championship inspired by these abductions of lore takes place in Sonkajarvi, eastern Finland, with men from all over the world turning up to run an obstacle course that includes pools of water and sand pits, all while carrying a woman. The Finns are nothing if not traditional, and so many of the competitors choose to enter the championship with another mans wife. Since the inaugural competition in 1992, a strong rivalry between neighbouring countries of Finland and Estonia has grown. Estonian pairing Margo Uusorg and Birgit Ulricht dominated the contest from 1998 to 2008, posting the world record time of 55.5 seconds during a decade as the team to beat. The Finns have launched something of a fightback in recent years however, reclaiming their title in 2009 and managing to hold on to it since.
