Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Dozens of husbands swept their wives off their feet in Maine for the North American Wife Carrying Championships.
The annual contest at the Sunday River resort in Newry, Maine, featured men carrying their wives -- usually on their backs and shoulders -- through an obstacle course that included log hurdles and a mud pit dubbed the Widow Maker due to its tendency to topple competitors.
Jake and Kirsten Barney of Lexington, Va., last year's runner-ups, came out on top at Saturday's event with a time of 58.26 seconds, two seconds ahead of last year's winners, Giana and Elliot Storey of Westbrook, Maine.
The Barneys' victory earned them 12 cases of beer and five times Kirsten's weight in cash -- a total $630.
The pair also qualified for the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland, where the unusual sport originated.
The Storeys came in fourth at last year's world championships.
