The annual spouse-porting event attracted competitors from 14 countries around the world determined to win the coveted title
18:07, 07 Jul 2015Updated 18:36, 07 Jul 2015
The Wife-Carrying World Championship has been held - with the lucky winner taking home the weight of the winning wife in beer.
Held in Sonkajärvi, Finland, the event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, took place in pouring rain but despite there were still 60 couples taking part, coming from 14 countries.
There are plenty of real athlete-types competing, but there's a sense of fun too, with wacky costumes everywhere you looked.
The championship lasted two days, with a sprint race, team race and the main event on the 253.5 metre course.
Bonding session: The championship lasted two days, with a sprint race, team race and the main event on the 253.5 metre course(Image: )
The official website of the championship explains: "There are four customary styles to carry the wife - the traditional piggyback, the wife dangling upside down on the carrier's back, thrown over the shoulder or crosswise on the carrier's shoulders. The style is free."
It also draws parallels between wife carrying and eroticism, adding: "Intuitive understanding of the signals sent by the partner and becoming one with the partner are essential in both of them - sometimes also whipping."
This year, overall winners were Ville Parviainen and Sari Viljanen, from Vantaa. The result was a second consecutive win for Ville, who competed with a different partner in 2014.