A Finnish couple added to their victories by taking first place in the North American Wife Carrying Championship.

Taisto Miettinen and Kristina Haapanen travelled from Helsinki, Finland - where they won the World Wife Carrying Championship - for Saturday's contest at Maine's Sunday River ski resort.

The Sun Journal reports that the couple finished with a time of 52.58 seconds on a course that includes hurdles, sand traps and a water hole.

The winners receive the woman's weight in beer and five times her weight in cash.

For Mr Miettinen and Ms Haapanen, that meant a cheque for 530 US dollars.

They shared their beer winnings with the second- and third- place finishers - Jesse Wall and Christine Arsenault of South Paris and David and Lacey Castro of Lewiston.