A NORTH-EAST racecourse will be the venue this week for a contest with a difference.
Sedgefield Race Course, in County Durham, will host a wife-carrying race, with the first prize being £250 - and the runner's wife's weight in beer.
The woman being carried does not need to be the entrant's wife -as long as she is aged over 17.
The racecourse's general manager, Jim Allen, said: "This has all the hall marks of a very fun event - I just hope that the winning 'wife' does not object to being weighed!
"This year, we are hoping for 20 runners and riders and they will appear in the racecard, so are asking people to enter at the racecourse office as soon as possible."
Back in the 19th Century, a bandit winning the wife-carrying race got to keep the woman as a prize.
Modern-day runners have to settle for a choice of goods such as kettles, toasters, or mops, or the top prize of £250.
The event is sponsored by Camerons Brewery and there will also be bouncy castles, face painting and Punch and Judy.
The day, on Friday, August 5, includes six horse races, the first at 2.30pm. Admission to the grandstand is £13, or £6 for the course enclosure.
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