Maine couple wins beer, cash in wife-carrying competition

NEWRY, Maine — Carrying your wife over the threshold means good luck in your new marriage.

Carrying your wife over the threshold of an obstacle course featuring log hurdles, sand traps and water hazards means beer and cash prizes.

A Maine husband and wife are the winners of the North American Wife Carrying Championship held Saturday in Newry, Maine.

Elliot and Giana Storey, of Westbrook, will bring home 11 cases of Goose Island Octoberfest beer and $665. They bested 43 other couples to win the 17th annual competition.

The Storeys completed the 278-yard course in 59.18 seconds. Their prizes were the weight of Giana in beer and five times her weight in cash.

The couple qualifies to participate in the world championship next year in Finland, where the event got its modern start.