Yes really!! Every July a bunch of grown adults get together in deepest darkest Sussex (Pulborough) to race through the night against each other on ‘ride-on’ lawnmowers! This 12 hour race is a test of both physical stamina and mechanical know-how. The mowers are hardly a comfortable ride so most riders wear kidney belts to try to stop bruising of internal organs and the race runs from 8pm to 8am. Winning the race can usually be largely attributed to the technical abilities of the team members (most riders become mechanics for half the night). It’s quite an art form to keep these (often ‘veteran’) vehicles going for the whole 12 hours using make-shift parts and brute force.
Rain generally adds to the spectacle with ‘leaky ‘pit’ roofs, and no drainage on the course, which quickly becomes a quagmire.
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So just how much do you love her?!!
Why not go and participate (or watch) the annual championship for the ‘sport’ of wife carrying, held in Sonkajärvi, Finland every June? You could even get into the Guinness book of records (seriously!).
A male has to carry a female over a 254 meter track with obstacles (including waist high water). There are rules and regulations regarding the wife’s weight and she must be over 17 years old, but she doesn’t have to be your own wife! There are no regulations regarding the style of carrying – but the favoured seems to be ‘Estonian style’ whereby the wife hangs upside down with her legs around the husbands shoulders. The event is staged over a series of heats (only 2 ‘teams’ go at a time) and in addition to the fastest, there are also prizes for the most entertaining couple, the best costume and the strongest carrier.
Apparently the sport has its roots in an alleged custom whereby Finnish men courted women by running into their village, picking them up and carrying them off. Sophisticated! Presumably such shows of strength were an indication of virility?!!
The prize? The woman’s weight in beer!
