A Finnish pair won the annual UK Wife Carrying Race held in Dorking, Surrey, where competitors race while carrying their partners on their shoulders.

Firefighter Teemu Tuovinen and laboratory scientist Jatta Leinonen, both 28, took first place after travelling from Finland to compete. The race, now in its 18th year, features teams running up and down a hill, jumping over hay bales and passing through water obstacles while the carried partner wears a crash helmet.

Participants said the experience was physically demanding but entertaining. Race director Ian Giles said the quirky event, inspired by a Finnish tradition, attracts competitors looking for a fun and unusual challenge.