About 50 couples are competing for beer, cash and bragging rights in the 15th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship at Maine's Sunday River ski resort.
The competition features a 278-yard course with log hurdles, sand traps and a "widow maker" water hazard. The fastest two teams from the qualifying round compete head-to-head in a final heat.
The winning couple on Saturday gets the woman's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.
There's an international flavor to the event. Last year, a couple from Finland won the event, completing the course in 48 seconds. Saturday's winner gains entry into the world championship next summer in Finland.
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