They won the wife's weight in beer.
Ironically, beer is where the sport has it's roots.
Because beer gets people thinking deep thoughts and convincing other people to join in....ha ha.
Big, strong guy, petite,strong women = wife-carrying champions! Cool
It seems pretty easy to predict the winner though....largest and most muscular husband with the smallest and most lightweight wife. Easy peasy.
Oh my gosh, I saw something along these lines at a Scandinavian Festival in Stoughton, Wisconsin. It's quite competitive but I liked the Strong Man competition better. [stoughtonfestivals.com]