The Urban Iditarod is a shopping cart race in which teams of five people (one “musher” and four “dogs”) tie themselves to a grocery store shopping cart and run or walk through the streets of a metropolitan area to different locations where they compete in "challenges". The race features people in costumes and themed floats/carts participating in fun competitions where friendly sabotage, costume, and presentation are rewarded.
- Teams must be on foot at all times. Bikes, roller blades, jets, or rocket packs are not allowed. That also means no cars, vans, taxis, or other conveyances. You can walk, or you can run, you might even hide, but you have to be on foot. Heck, you can carry you cart the entire way if you want, but that would totally suck.
- Teams must find and use a standard shopping cart. Any size cart is fine, as long as it is not a child's cart or a toy.
- Let’s be real clear here: We do not condone any activity that jeopardizes the safety of Iditarod participants or observers.
- This is supposed to be both fun and sometimes embarrassing, but not life threatening. You and your entire team will be disqualified immediately if it is perceived that a team tried to willfully inflict serious injury. This includes any activity that causes someone to fall, tip over, hurl into traffic, unintentionally maim pedestrians, or destroy private property. No food products get hurled. Please remember that if the community views our acts as malicious, they are more likely to complain to city officials who could very easily get this and other fun events banned.
- This will be a "dry" race where no bars will be visited or drinking events will take place.
- Teams must complete the race in 2 1/2 hours. No negotiating.
Indeed, this is an event where there’s defined winners, but really it is meant to be a social activity of a fun and silly nature. Do not break laws or do harm to other participants. It is about testing your own willingness to make a fool of yourself. You are not expected to be in top physical condition or to run the entire time. You are expected to be a good sport, have fun, meet new people and generally enjoy the day.
Now mush, you huskies!
Iditarod’s take place in Ann Arbor, Asheville, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Iowa City, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Washington, D.C. though the original race was founded in San Francisco in 1994 as the "Urban Iditarod"
Thank you to all the other cities who have organized such great websites and shared their information.
