A fairy tale ending stunned spectators as defending champion Chris Hepworth sealed this year's victory with a proposal of marriage to his partner Tanisha Prince at the end of the race. After accepting the trophy, Chris dropped to one knee and popped the question to the other half of this champion partnership. The answer was a resounding yes, although Chris admitted, had they not won, that the time would not have been right and the ring would have stayed in his pocket!
The 11th annual UK Wife-Carrying Championships took place on a very wet and windy spring morning (3rd March), in Dorking, Surrey, South East England. Conditions underfoot were extremely slippery so a slow steady pace was the order of the day.
The winners were trailing at the turn in 3rd place, so had to make up ground in the closing stage of the race, but Chris surely had that extra, unique motivation to strive for success.
Couples race over a hilly 380-metre course, which features an 'over the straw-bale hurdle obstacle, plus a splash zone, ensuring competitors get soaked before the final straw bales leading to the finish.
There is a minimum 50-kilogramme weight rule, for the ‘wife ‘ or person being carried, as some women carry men and others are same-sex pairings. Entrants are weighed before the start of the race to ensure they meet this minimum 50Kg load and any under this threshold have to carry a rucksack of extra weight ballast to compete.
English couple Chris Hepworth and his partner Tanisha Prince (they aren’t married) took the top honours in the quirky event for the second year in succession. The Marriage proposal made this a memory they will never forget.
The couple from London now look forward to the World Championships in Finland later this year but will compete for the first time knowing they will become man and wife.
These are the rushes from the day.
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