I swear I’m not making this up…

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman will “borrow” a spouse to take part in the 2005 world wife-carrying championships in Finland this July.

This whimsical annual event involves a 250m steeplechase in which the “wife” rides upside down on the runner’s back with her legs slung over his shoulders. Rodman, aged 44, quit the NBA in 2000 and is known for his escapades. But don’t expect him to walk down the aisle just for the event.

Under the event’s rules, he will be allowed to borrow a wife if he is neither married nor engaged in time for the championships. The Finnish news agency STT reports that Rodman approached the organizers with the idea, saying its one of the few things he hasn’t tried yet.

No word yet on whom he’ll be carrying, or more likely, whom will be carrying him.