North American Wife Carrying Championship®
About this race
The 26th Annual North American Wife Carrying Championship® returns to Sunday River on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as part of our Fall Fest weekend. It’s weird, wild, and wildly entertaining—this one-of-a-kind event draws competitors and spectators from across the globe to see who has what it takes to carry their partner to victory.
Teams race on foot through a 278-yard obstacle course that includes log hurdles, a sand trap, and the fan-favorite “Widow Maker” water hazard. The fastest two teams from the qualifying rounds will advance to a final heat to compete for the championship title—and some pretty quirky prizes, including the wife’s weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.
Not Married? No Problem.
Couples don’t have to be legally married, but teams must consist of one man and one woman, and both must be at least 21 years old on race day, to qualify for the world championship.
Pick your distance
Obstacle race
North American Wife Carrying Championship®
Not Married? No Problem. Couples don’t have to be legally married, but teams must consist of one man and one woman, and both must be at least 21 years old on race day, to qualify for the world championship. How You Carry Is Up to You. Traditional piggyback or classic Estonian-style (legs over the shoulders, arms around the waist)—it’s your call, as long as your partner stays on board. Need tips? Watch our how-to video. Fall Fest Fun: Wife Carrying is just one part of Sunday River’s Fall Fest—a weekend packed with live music, food, scenic chairlift rides, a beer garden, and more. Make it a day trip or a full weekend getaway in the mountains of Maine.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 10 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Newry, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:52 AM and sets at 6:07 PM local time (EDT) in Newry on October 10, 2026 — 11h 15m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 5 Newry events
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