Leaving the Log
On October 11th, we drove up to Sunday River, Maine, to take part in the Ninth Annual North-American Wife-Carrying Contest. We took part last year too, as we describe elsewhere, and this year our ambition was to win the over-eighty combined age prize. I'm 42 this year and Kirsten is 39, so that's 81 combined.
Last year we had all our kids with us. This year we were on our own. But we met Alex and Yael at the starting line. Last year, Alex fell in the water. This year he was back to redeem himself.
Also at the starting line were Ri and Sarah, who came in second place (although we believe they won), and the winners from last year (although we believe they came in second). The winners from last year had been to Finland to compete in the World Championship Wife-Carrying Race. They had come in sixth place, which is impressive, because the Hungarians and the Finnish take the competition pretty seriously.
Kirsten and I arrived only ten minutes before the start. We pinned on our team number labels. We were team number 9. The wife's label goes upside down on her back. Alex and Yael were team number 31. Ri and Sarah were number 11. I jogged around the course. There was only one log obstacle this year. Instead of the second log, there was a mound of wood chips after the water pit. Between the log and the water pit was a wet ditch made by a trickle of water running off the hill. The ground was muddy in the ditch.
Last year's champions were among the first to race. They set off at a great pace. According to Alex, the guy looked as if he were sprinting at full speed. When they disappeared around the bend, hidden from all of us by the spectators, we heard a groan from the crowd. The champions fell in the wet ditch. He dislocated his shoulder. The medics came and took him away.
"It's the curse of the champions," Alex said. "The same thing happened to the 2006 champion before the 2007 race."
Kirsten and I wanted to practice the wife-carry before we raced, but there was no time. We were in the third or fourth heat, with a couple who had printed T-Shirts for the occasion, and were newly-married. I laced up my cleats.
This year, Kirsten decided to grab me round the tummy and squeeze my neck with her legs. I could hardly see past her knees. But there was no time to argue about it. I was running up the hill towards the log.
We crossed the ditch without incident, and entered the water pit.
When we reached the mound, I had to force Kirsten's legs apart so I could see ahead.
We crossed the finish line just with one clock reading 1:00 and another reading 1:01. I conclude that our finish time was exactly 1:01.
We were well-pleased with our time. But it was not long before Ri and Sarah came in at 0:53, and another couple, who happened to be the friends Ri and Sarah brought with them, came in at 0:52. Actually: we're not sure about the times because they have not been published by Sunday River. We're guessing to the nearest second.
I waited by the water pit for Team 31. The spectators made space for me so I could take this movie.
Note the commentary about Alex's legs from the spectating females. Here's a shot of Alex coming out of the water. As you can see, he did not fall this year.
You will also notice the way Yael is holding her own legs instead of Alex's tummy, and he can see ahead of him. Lucky fellow. Here he is ascending the mound with his "strong legs".
As far as I could tell, the clock said 1:02 when Alex crossed the finish line, it may have said 1:01. Alex seemed to think it was 1:03, but I'm not sure why he chose 1:03. If we want to race one another and find a clear winner, we'll have to go back next year and make sure we are in the same heat.
The championship heat was between teams 11 (Ri and Sarah) and team 21 (their friends). Here they are from the log to the finish line.
Just as he did last year, Ri overtakes his opponent in the water, helped this year by the fact that his opponent stumbled in the mud. I like the affectionate pat on the back he gives to his friend when he realizes that his victory is assured.
First prize: the wife's weight in beer.
Plus five times the wife's weight in dollars.
In addition to these immediate prizes, Sarah and Ri get $1000 towards a trip to Finland to take part in the World Championship. We wish them luck. They will be competing against giant olympiads carrying gymnasts.
And now the moment we had been waiting for: the winner of the over-eighty combined age prize. That's right: team number nine.
The organizers were tactful enough not to tell anyone in the audience how few teams there were with a combined age of over eighty. We're not sure there was even one such team. Kirsten thinks I should include more pictures of our Moment of Glory. Here is another, and here is yet another.
We camped that night in Grafton Notch campground near Sunday River, along with Alex and Yael. I cooked lentils, rice, spinach, and pappadoms for supper.
Kirsten and I had to stay close together to keep warm that night. According to the campground owner, it was 25F at 6 am. This was the last weekend he's open.
We found dozens of millipedes in the camp. Here's a photograph. Alex took a good picture of a spider he found in his tent.
We drove to New Hampshire and hiked up Tecumseh Mountain with Alex and Yael. It took a couple of hours to reach the top, even though the trail is only five miles long.
I like this picture of Yael and me, also taken on the summit. I think this was just after Yael ate a candy-corn she found on a pile of rocks. But it may have been just before. She said the candy-corn was one of the best she had ever tasted.
And here's one of our friends together, sitting on the mountainside on our way down.
You can see some of the beautiful autumn foliage in the background, but I cut most of it out so you can see Alex and Yael's faces better.
