Finland couple wins US wife carrying contest

NEWRY, Maine (KABC) -- A Finnish couple was victorious in the hazardous competition known as the annual North American Wife Carrying Championship, held in Maine over the weekend.

Taisto Miettinen and Kristina Haapanen traveled from Helsinki, Finland for Saturday's contest, held at the Sunday River ski resort. The couple reportedly finished with a time of 52.58 seconds.

Male competitors raced through obstacles carrying a female teammate. Despite the competition's name, they don't have to be married.

The course includes a small pond called the "widow maker" and a sand trap. A team is penalized if the woman is dropped.

The winners receive the woman's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash. Miettinen and Haapanen received a $530 check and planned to share the beer with the second and third place couples.

This isn't the first wife carrying contest Miettinen and Haapanen have won -- they also took the title in Helsinki.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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