NEWRY — Fifty-one couples from the Eastern Seaboard will compete against each other on Saturday, Oct. 8, in the 12th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship at Sunday River Ski Resort.

“This is the first time in the history of the NAWCC that the event has completely sold out of available registration spots prior to race day,” Darcy Morse, resort spokeswoman, said Monday.

Notable registrants include former Lewiston residents Dave and Lacey Castro, the 2009 champions and fifth-place finishers at the 2011 Wife Carrying World Championships in Sonkajarven, Finland.

Additionally, Jesse Wall and Christine Arsenault of Portland, who took second place in last year’s wife carry championship in Newry, will also compete.

Of the remaining 49 couples registered, couples will be coming from Newburgh, Ind., and Richmond, Va., but the bulk of participants hail from Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Morse said.

On race day, couples will navigate a regulation-sized, 278-yard obstacle course while the man carries his wife or teammate over hurdles and through the infamous water trap commonly referred to as the “Widow Maker.”

Teams don’t have to be legally married to enter, but they must be comprised of a man and a woman and both must be over the age of 21.

Prizes include the wife’s weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.

The event is free to watch and typically attracts up to 3,000 spectators, Morse said.

October’s race will start at 11 a.m. The course will be located just outside of the South Ridge Base Lodge.

For more information, visit www.sundayriver.com.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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