Wife Carrying Championship Coming Back to Sunday River

The 20th Annual North American Wife Carrying Championship will take place at Sunday River on October 12th, with beer and cash prizes at stake for the contestants.

The event is held every year during the resort’s Fall Festival on Columbus Day weekend.

It's a 278-yard dash to the finish line with obstacles that the finalists have to navigate like a log hurdle, the widow maker water hazard, and a climb up an unsteady sand hill, all while carrying their spouse.

Couples race head to head for the fastest time to determine which teams will enter the finals. The fastest two couples will then race against one another to see who will be named the 2019 champion.

The ones who make it across the finish line first will be rewarded with the wife's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash and entry into the World Wife Carrying Championship in Finland.

If you were hoping to get in on the fun, you're too late as registration is sold out, however there is a waitlist available. Couples must be over the age of 21, but do not need to be legally married, or comprised of a man and woman.

There's still a lot to do after you watch the championship go down, there will be a cornhole tournament on Sunday the 13th, which is sanctioned by the American Cornhole Association with a $600 cash purse split between for the top three teams. There's the VIP Wine Tent experience on Saturday where you can sample wine and appetizers from Chef Harding Lee Smith of the Rooms restaurants in Portland.

Check out the complete list of activities for the Fall Festival at Sunday River.