This weekend in Alaska is the annual running of the sled race known as the Iditarod.
It is the ultimate test of man, woman, and beast.
For the past 7 years, Chicago has been running our version the "Chiditarod".
There are some key differences,
1. We use custom shopping carts instead of sleds
2. All 5 person teams must have a theme/costume
3. Our "check points" are at bars where you must spend at least 20 minutes
4. Sabotaging other teams is legal
5. This is a fund raiser : Each team must donate a minimum of 50 pounds of food to the Chicago Food Pantry
Push your cart under the fold for more info and pics....
Updated Totals : Raised 25,000 lbs of food, $13,000 in donations !
There were close to 200 teams registered this year. It continues to grow.
Folks were wearing their finest as they checked in, complete with bacon boutineers
Peeps from all over Chicago and the suburbs showed up
Some lawyers volunteered their time to set up a non-profit for this event
There was no lack of creativity, and some people put days worth of work into their carts
Others were more whimsical, like this "Space Pig"
And they're off!
The Jamaican Bobsled team made the fatal mistake of leaving their cart unattended as they were in one of 9 bars on the 4 mile course. The handle was covered with shaving cream, and it was chained to a barricade.
( There was a rumor that one team was selling competing team's shopping carts as scrap steel)
The fun continued in each bar as Karaoke, eating, drinking, and dancing were the orders of the day.
Safety was provided by street and bike marshals, who helped teams cross traffic
Some of the 20,000+ pounds of non-perishable food that was raised this year (1 1/2 tons more than last year) Although teams needed to donate 50 pounds to enter, most gave 80 to 100 pounds.
Prizes were awarded for winner, best team costumes, best cart, and more.
This is how you build community.
Link to facebook site https://www.facebook.com/...