Cronin said: “I didn’t say yes initially – Stuart signed up before asking me.
“Imagine being put in a washing machine, it feels a lot like that.”
The couple’s favoured method is the Estonian hold.
As part of the prize, winners of the UK race receive £250 towards travel costs for the World Championships.
The sport is a different level in Scandinavia, though, Johnson said. “You get these gladiator humans and it looks like they weren’t even carrying anything,” he said.
Despite returning to defend the crown, Giles says there is competition from a Finnish couple coming to upset the odds.
The Scandinavian couple came 27th in the 2025 World Championships, completing the course in one minute and 32 seconds.
“I think this year there will be quite a lot of pressure – they look absolutely stacked,” he said.
The UK Wife Carrying Race takes place on Sunday at 10:15 GMT at The Nower in Dorking, ahead of the Leith Hill half marathon.
Spectators are being encouraged to arrive on foot or by public transport, and bring their buckets and water pistols too, of course.