Erik mentioned the Idiotarod recently. No, it’s not a typo; I didn’t mean that dog sled-thing in Alaska. I meant the shopping cart race/freak show that features people instead of dogs. Sort of a Burning Man for the mobile set, the Idiotarod is the urban version of Iditarod. The rules of the Idiotarod are, um, well there aren’t many. Organizers provide racers with a starting line, two checkpoints — during which racers face trials and challenges that “build character” — and a finish line; racers choose the fastest route to the end.
Staged in New York last weekend, Colonel Angus won (although his time was admittedly a guesstimate), while Guitar Heroes took Best in Show and the Mad Hattan Tea Party took the award for “Continuous and Affective Bribery.” What kind of award is that? Wait…is the Idiotarod a race? Performance art? A chance for people to dress up and run around the street screaming? You guessed it: it’s all of those things. And more.
If you’re feeling totally idiotic about the Idiotarod, check out the gobs of Idiotarod vids at the Carts of Brooklyn, and click through the (more than 8000!) photos on Flickr tagged Idiotarod. To get deep inside the minds of Idiotarod-ers — some of whom travel around the country promoting the sport event festival it — check out this short clip from Travelistic.
On second thought, I’m not sure you want to get too deep inside the minds of Idiotarod-ers. But I think I’ll make plans to attend next year. Mush!