NEWRY — Registration for the 16th annual North American Wife Carrying Competition will officially open on Monday, Aug. 3, Sunday River employee Karolyn Castaldo said Monday afternoon.

The competition is scheduled to take place on Oct. 10 at Sunday River Ski Resort as part of their Fall Festival.

Castaldo said that although the competition takes place at Sunday River, people apply from a wide variety of locations.

“It’s not just Mainers that are applying to compete,” Castaldo said. “Last year, we had people from New York and Pennsylvania, and some people from even further beyond that. We get a lot of people from the Northeast, but some people come quite a distance to compete.”

The competition invites couples to traverse through a 278-yard-long obstacle course, made up of log hurdles, sand traps and a water hazard known as the “Widow Maker.”

However, the husband must carry his wife on his back through the entire race.

The fastest two teams from the qualifying round compete against each other in a final round, with the winning couple receiving a unique prize: the wife’s weight in beer, and five times her weight in cash.

Castaldo said she believes that people are driven to the Wife Carrying Competition year after year because of the “bonding that the couples go through to compete in this.”

“I think anyone who’s competitive and likes trying out these weird challenges that we put on will have a great time,” Castaldo said.

Registration for the event is $50 per couple, Castaldo said.

For more information, email Castaldo at kcastaldo@sundayriver.com.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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