Strange

Chiditarod: Racing Shopping Carts for Charity

by Jordan Yerman | March 8, 2009 at 12:30 pm

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Hipsters pushing shopping trolleys down the streets during the economic downturn: predictable? Sort of: the Chiditarod is a charity event in which participating teams donate at least 30 pounds of food in order to reace through the Chicago streets in shopping carts. While dressed up.

Spawned from NYC's Idiotarod, this event is enjoying its fourth outing in the Windy City.

This sort of event is really fun, since you meet the sorts of people that would dress up and race in shopping carts. That's a good thing.

This Saturday that comparison may grow a shade more accurate as 100 five-person teams gather to participate in the Chiditarod, an urban equivalent to the great Alaskan race.

Except not. Instead of huskies pulling sleds through snow-packed passes, humans push and pull shopping carts through city streets. Participants decorate their carts like comic parade floats, wear silly costumes and, although ostensibly having fun, compete fiercely. Dirty tricks are encouraged. "Creative, non-destructive uses of sabotage are tolerated," the guidelines state. "There might even be a prize for the best sabotage."

The event took place yesterday, but, as of this posting, the results are not yet published on the official site.

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kirstiecat

at 12:54 on March 8th, 2009

More information about this race for charity can be found here:

http://www.chiditarod.org/

For the complete photoset on flickr, click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157614974421520/

freeble_01

at 17:08 on March 8th, 2009

Title: Superheros: G to the A to the Super Captain America

Photo taken by: Clem Jaskot. Location: in front of Phyllis' Musical Inn at Division and Wood Street in Chicago. Subject: One of the 100 5-person teams participating in the 2008 Chiditarod shopping cart race/food drive.

freeble_01 has contributed a photo to this story.