American couple make history at Wife-Carrying World Championships

The American duo completed the 253.5 m obstacle course on July 6 in 1 minute and 1.17 seconds, earning not only the title but also a prize of beer equivalent to Justine’s weight.

Since its founding in 1992, champions of the Wife-Carrying World Championship have exclusively come from Finland, Lithuania, Estonia or Russia. This is the first time the title has gone beyond Europe, Canadian Running Magazine reported.

Caleb Roesler (L) and Justine Roesler celebrate after winning the 2025 World Wife-Carrying Championships on July 6, 2025. Photo by World Wife-Carrying Championships

The 2024 winners from Lithuania, Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene, finished second in 1 minute and 4.6 seconds. Finland's 2023 champions, Taisto Miettinen and Katja Kovanen, placed third with 1 minute and 5.2 seconds.

"There aren’t many wives in the world who would agree to this," Caleb told the media after the contest. "She did a great job. We went under water and she didn’t panic–so we’re happy. I’ve never done anything like that–jumped into a water puddle with my wife."

The couple won the North American Wife Carrying Championship in Newry, Maine, in October 2024, which qualified them for the global competition.

Despite the name, the race does not require participants to be legally married. The "wife" can be a spouse, partner, or even a friend, provided they are at least 17 years old, weigh at least 49 kg and wear a helmet.

The race course includes two obstacles on land and a 1 m deep water pit. The most common technique is the "Estonian carry," where the woman hangs upside down with her legs wrapped around the man's shoulders and her head near his lower back, allowing the man to run hands-free.

The 2025 event saw a record of 200 participants from 18 countries and around 2,000 spectators. The all-time course record stands at 56.09 seconds, set by an Estonian pair in 2006.