UK Wife Carrying Race

The UK Wife Carrying Race is one of those quirky, iconic events that everyone should try at least once in their life and which Leith Hill Trail Runners have recently taken over from Rob McCaffrey at Trionium. It was voted by Runner’s World as the Best Adventure Race in Britain in 2011. With the sport's origins in Scandinavia, the UK Wife Carrying Race was first run in 2008. Competition is tough at the front of the race and good fun at the back. The winning couple qualify for the annual World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland, where our 2024 race winners Stuart Johnson and Hattie Cronin finished fifth! You do not have to carry your own wife. It could be someone else’s. Or a mate, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister or brother. They should ideally weigh less than you do. The course is 380m up and back down a steady 15m ascent. That’s a long way under the circumstances.