NEWRY — Registration begins at noon Thursday, Sept. 1, for the 12th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship at Sunday River Ski Resort.

Registration is $49 per couple and available online through the event page at www.sundayriver.com.

Resort spokeswoman Darcy Morse said Wednesday that registration is almost as competitive as the actual event, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8.

The race, which attracts entrants from across the nation and Canada, is limited to 50 couples. It can also attract as many as 3,000 spectators, Morse said.

Wife-carrying teams must also be comprised of a male and female competitor.

The female does not need to be the legal wife of the male, nor does she need to be the one carried, Morse said.

The wife-carrying course is a regulation 278-yard-long sprint built on the lower slopes of Sunday River.

The course begins with an uphill run and continues through a field of obstacles, including the always crowd-pleasing 10-meter-long, waist-deep water hazard fondly referred to as the “widow maker” and a series of 39-inch-high log hurdles.

Winners of the North American Wife Carrying Championship take home the wife’s weight in beer, which is why both team members must be 21 years of age or older, plus five times her weight in cash.

Preregistration is encouraged, but on-site registration will be offered if space allows on the day of the event, Morse said.

The championship’s origin is derived from Finnish history, where men carried women for training and sport.

“While this concept comes across as slightly uncivilized today, this modernized event is a fun, family-friendly race and a true test of physical strength, agility and teamwork between man and woman,” Morse said.

For more information on the event, visit www.sundayriver.com or contact Morse at 824-5243 or [email protected].

[email protected]