A man bent the rules of the UK Wife Carrying Race when he entered with his dog as his partner for the event on Sunday 5 March.

Over the years at the UK Wife Carrying championships, there have been same-sex couples, a woman carrying a woman, a man carrying a man, a woman carrying a woman, and even men carrying women.

Some take the race very seriously - and why not? - as there's a national title at stake. But for others it's just a bit of fun and a conversation starter for years to come.

Joel Hicks is a veteran of this race and has competed many times. Indeed, he is a former champion.

But for 2023 he decided to run carrying his dog, a beloved Springer Spaniel named Jess.

Whilst this event celebrates supporting your partner in literal terms, Joel embraced the spirit of the event by dressing Jess as a bride whilst he wore a cartoon dog groom costume.

Couples raced over a 380-metre course which had an energy sapping gradient up the hill towards a turning point, so it was a short but gruelling race.

The bond between Jess and Joel was clearly evident as Jess remained calm and obedient throughout.

However, the event carries a minimum 50kg weight rule for the ‘wife’ so Joel had the burden of running in a weighted vest under his costume to make up for the much lighter weight of his partner.

Despite this adjustment, his entry was perfectly legitimate as the rules have evolved over the years to ensure the 'wife’ is alive, without specifying they have to be human!

Whilst Joel and his dog came last in the race, they were rewarded for their effort with a prize of dog food.

Joel's entry might have been bizarre but it was a real favourite with the assembled crowd of spectators.

Man runs with his dog at the 2023 UK Wife Carrying Race

Over the years at the UK Wife Carrying championships, there have been same-sex couples, a woman carrying a woman, a man carrying a man as well as men carrying women and a woman carrying a man.

Some take the race very seriously - and why not? - there's a national title at stake but for others it a bit of fun and a real conversation starter for years to come.
Joel Hicks is a veteran of this race and competed many times, indeed his is a former champion but for 2023 he decided to run carrying his dog, a beloved Springer Spaniel named Jess. Whilst this event celebrates supporting your partner in literal terms, Joel embraced the spirit of the event by dressing Jess as a bride whilst he appropriately wore a dog groom costume.

Couples raced over a 380 metre course which had an energy sapping gradient up the hill towards the turning point, so it is a short but gruelling race.
The bond between Jess and Joel was clearly evident as Jess remained calm and obedient throughout! However, the event carries a minimum 50 Kg weight rule for the ‘wife’ so Joel had the burden of running in a weighted vest under his costume to make up the difference to ensure he followed the rules. Despite this adjustment, his entry was perfectly legitimate as the rules have evolved over the years to ensure ‘the wife’ is alive but do not specify having to be human!

Whilst Joel and his dog came in last he was rewarded for his effort with a prize of dog food, a treat indeed for Jess and what was abundantly evident was that his entry was a real favourite with the assembled crowd of spectators.