The Idiotarod is a

shopping cart A shopping cart (American English), trolley (British English, Australian English), or buggy (Southern American English, Appalachian English), also known by a variety of other names, is a wheeled cart supplied by a shop or store, especially ...

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

in which teams of five or more "

idiot An idiot, in modern use, is a stupid or foolish person. 'Idiot' was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot ...

s" with a (sometimes modified)

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

shopping cart run through the streets of a major

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

. The carts are usually themed and feature people in

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

s. The races are fun competitions where sabotage, costume, and presentation, and other efforts are rewarded; some cities offer a "Best in Show" prize. Sabotage, such as tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation such as false route information, were common in the early years. A push for "leave no trace" actions has been promoted recently. The Idiotarod is named after the

Iditarod The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 a ...

, a 1,000 mile dog-sledding race in Alaska. Idiotarods have taken place in

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, though the original race was founded in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1994 as the "Urban Iditarod".

Portland, Oregon

The Portland Urban Iditarod, which began in March 2001, runs through a course over four miles through downtown

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

.Portland Urban Iditarod - supplies
Accessed 9 March 2008. This race occurs on the first Saturday of March, the same date as the actual Alaskan Iditarod.Tewksbury, Drew,
Gone to the Dogs
.'' Los Angeles CityBeat, 5 April 2007. Accessed 9 March 2008.Barrett, Joe,
On Brooklyn Streets, Shopping Carts Roll In a Renegade Derby
'' The Wall Street Journal, 2 February 2006. Accessed 9 March 2008. Racers wear "absurd" costumes, including Spanish bullfighters and diaper-wearing astronauts,Associated Press,

'' 19 March 2007. Accessed 9 March 2008. and make stops at pubs and bars along the way.
Your guide to the next 72 hours
''The Portland Tribune,'' 4 March 2005. Accessed 9 March 2008. There are no winners or losers in the Portland event.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's Urban Iditarod, called the

Chiditarod CHIditarod is a Chicago-based shopping cart-race and food drive. Attendees typically dress in costume. It is managed by the 501(c)(3) non-profit CHIditarod Foundation. The name is a play on words combining Chicago and Iditarod, a dogsled race. CHI ...

, has been held annually on the first Saturday in March since 2006. Historically the race has occurred in and around the Chicago neighborhood of West Town. Much like other Urban Iditarods, a Chiditarod team includes 5 participants: 4 dawgs and a musher. Teams are required to use a regular

and are not allowed to modify the cart's original

caster A caster (or castor) is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object (the "vehicle") to enable that object to be moved. Casters are used in numerous applications, including shopping carts, office chairs, t ...

wheels. Beyond this limitation, teams are encouraged to take artistic liberties with their carts and participants often decorate their carts in highly creative ways and dress in costume to match their team's theme. Like a traditional race, teams compete to finish the course in as little time as possible, while making designated stops at checkpoints along the course. Participating teams are allowed and even encouraged to sabotage each other in order to gain advantage but most teams engage in sabotage merely for bragging rights. In the spirit of radical inclusion, the Chiditarod organizers hand out a number of awards in a variety of categories giving participants the freedom to compete in the fields they are best suited for. The landmark of the Chiditarod is the event's charitable aspect. Billing itself as "Probably the world's largest mobile food drive," the Chiditarod plays an important role in helping raise foods for Chicago's food depositories, where in teams were asked to donate a minimum amount of high protein, non perishable food items. Racers also raise funds to help solve hunger issues with all funds directed to community grants programs that are finding new ways to solve food insecurities. Another notable innovation is the organization's approach to self-policing. In an effort to keep all participants safe throughout the course, the Chiditarod deploys bike marshals who act as roaming course deputies: resolving disputes between teams, mitigating destructive sabotage, safeguarding participant conduct, and lending a helping hand when necessary.

Trademark claim

In 2014, the

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 ...

sent a cease-and-desist order to Idiotarod NYC, asserting that the name "Idiotarod" infringed its trademark in "Iditarod." Idiotarod NYC characterized the letter as "frivolous threats of legal action", but renamed the event to "Idiotarodorama NYC (aka 'The Desistarod')".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Chicago's Urban Idiotarod - The Chiditarod

Chiditarod 2007 Video

Downtown St. Louis Idiotarod

The Phoenix Idiotarod

Idiotarod NYC
Outdoor games Racing Culture of New York City Culture of San Francisco Culture of Phoenix, Arizona Culture of Portland, Oregon Culture of Washington, D.C. Culture of Chicago Culture of Seattle Culture of Cincinnati Sports in Portland, Oregon Human-powered vehicles Events in Vancouver Events in Ottawa Recurring events established in 1994

Portland, Oregon

Chicago, Illinois

Trademark claim

See also

References

External links