Announcement!

It has come to our attention that the Chiditarod t-shirts were printed using environmentally-friendly ink. 

Once you get your t-shirt home, make sure you heat set the silkscreens with a hot iron before washing.  Otherwise the silkscreen may fade in the wash! 

"What if I don't have an iron?"

Food Drive

Checkpoint Hosts

Donors, Friends, and Allies

Food Drive

The Chiditarod collected 900 lbs. of food in 2006, over 2,300 lbs. in 2007, over 2,400 lbs. in 2008, and OVER 7,000 POUNDS in 2009!!

So, where's all that food going?

2010, 2009:

Burners Without Borders (BWB) coalesced from a spontaneous, collective instinct to meet gaping needs where existing societal systems were clearly failing. Chicago BWB has assisted in distributing the food collected by the Chiditarod to food pantry programs operated in low-income areas of Chicago's south and west sides.

More cartist media than you can swallow.

2010

• Photos and Video from 2010

2009

• The Chiditarod Ning site is home to our 2009 media collection. Please check it out and upload your new and old stuff!

2008

• Photos and Video from 2008

2007

• Photos and Video from 2007

2006

• Image Galleries

We have our own urban iditarod social network on Ning.

We're on Facebook. Oh my. Be our friends.

We're on Tribe.

We're even on MySpace.

Where did you get the idea for this event?
We stole it from some people in New York who have been doing it since 2003. They stole it from a group of people in San Francisco who have been doing it since 1994. Some call us the Chicago Idiotarod; we just call ourselves idiots.

Why are you doing this?
We're probably the world's largest mobile food drive.  Helping others and building community is sexy. And it's important to fight cold and kill boredom. After all, it's March in Chicago.  Plus it will be absurdly fun.

How do I sign up?
You are HEAVILY prodded to register in advance.  Plus, it's cheaper.  This means you probably should. Please use our online registration form.

I want to race but my friends are lame. Is there a team I can join?
Sure. Communicate with other racers via the mailing list or the Ning Chiditarod website.  Check the contact section for more information.

Guidelines for Spectators

1. Stay out of the streets.  Period.  We mean it.  You will be herded.  Love you!
2. Record the amazingness.  Bring nice high-definition photo and video cameras.  Upload and link to our ning site and Facebook, Flickr, etc.  Use the tag "chiditarod2010".
3. Support the cause by bringing food for racers or fundraise for our charity!
4. You are not allowed to participate in sabotage.  Please, please, don't.  :)
5. If you are working with a team to provide food, please consult with your team in advance as to where you plan on meeting them.

Where should you watch the race?

Since the location of the checkpoints remains a surprise up until the day of the race, we can't really tell you exactly where to watch. We will say this, however. The race might be contained by:

The utmost respect for the legendary...

• Iditarod

You gotta give credit to those who came before...

• A huge thanks to our NYC Idiotarod friends, mushing since 2003.
• The San Francisco Urban Iditarod, established in 1994(!).
• The Vancouver Shopping Kart Race, raising hell since 1997.
• The Ann Arbor Shopping Cart Race, tearing it up since 1997.
• The Portland Urban Iditarod, running since 2002.

And those who have come after...

Everyone's a winner at Chiditarod.

Here are some sample prizes. Don't feel limited to this list, however. Many prizes are free-form.

Trophies of awesome. In limited supply.
Coveted and hallowed. And there's cash. And maybe gift certificates.

The Chiditarod is Chicago's very own most important shopping cart race in the universe. The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. Chiditarod is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it's people; instead of sleds, it's shopping carts; and instead of Alaska, it's Chicago. Chiditarod is a one-of-a-kind event dedicated to self-expression, reclaiming our city for freaks of all varieties, food-raising for our city's disadvantaged, and creating copious amounts of epic.

-= New For 2010 =-

• New team category - Art Carts
• Food requirement - 40 lbs per team
• Cart deposit - $50

Who can race?

Anyone can race and everyone should race, as long as you are at least 21 years old.  You can forward this invitation to anyone you know.