Idiotarod

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For the Alaskan Iditarod, see Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The Idiotarod is a shopping cart race in which teams of five "idiots" tie themselves to a (sometimes modified) grocery store shopping cart and run through the streets of a major metropolitan area. The race usually features people in costumes and themed floats. The races are fun competitions where sabotage, costume, and presentation are rewarded. Sabotage such as tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation such as false route information are common.

The Idiotarod is named after the Iditarod, a 1,000 mile dog-sledding race in Alaska.

Idiotarods take place in Ann Arbor, Asheville, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Iowa City, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Washington, D.C. though the original race was founded in San Francisco in 1994 as the "Urban Iditarod"[1].

Contents

[edit] Portland, Oregon

Team "Quest for Fire" runs the iditarod in 2008 with a propane fire burning in their cart[2]
Team "Six Word Story" competes in the 2008 iditarod

The Portland Urban Iditarod, which began in March 2001,[3] runs through a course over four miles through downtown Portland, Oregon.[2][4] This race occurs on the first Saturday of March,[2] the same date as the actual Alaskan Iditarod.[5][6] Racers wear "absurd"[5] costumes, including Spanish bullfighters and diaper-wearing astronauts,[7] and make stops at pubs and bars along the way.[3] There are no winners or losers in the Portland event,[2] but other cities offer a "Best in Show" prize.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tudor, Silke (7 March 2001). "S.F. Mush". SFWeekly. http://www.sfweekly.com/2001-03-07/news/s-f-mush/. Retrieved 9 July 2010. 
  2. ^ a b c d Foyston, John. Cart-pulling racers mush through town. The Oregonian, 2 March 2008. Accessed 9 March 2008.
  3. ^ a b Your guide to the next 72 hours. The Portland Tribune, 4 March 2005. Accessed 9 March 2008.
  4. ^ Portland Urban Iditarod - supplies. Accessed 9 March 2008.
  5. ^ a b Tewksbury, Drew, Gone to the Dogs. Los Angeles CityBeat, 5 April 2007. Accessed 9 March 2008.
  6. ^ a b Barrett, Joe, On Brooklyn Streets, Shopping Carts Roll In a Renegade Derby. The Wall Street Journal, 2 February 2006. Accessed 9 March 2008.
  7. ^ Associated Press, Oregon bill aims to rid the shopping cart blight. 19 March 2007. Accessed 9 March 2008.

[edit] External links

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