It's been the coldest and darkest three months in recent memory. We Chicagoans have become accustomed to a daily routine of dimly-lit mornings, layered clothes, glazed windshields, icy sidewalks, salted streets, and the bite of the arctic wind at our cheeks. We've grown accustomed to life under a frigid blanket of white and mottled gray.

But for the past few days, there's been something new in the air. There are familiar smells; the smell of glorious victory, and also...of humiliating defeat. There are sounds in the distance, fast approaching. Sounds that we here in the windy city recognize as harbingers of spring. The roar of the crowd, the squeal of shopping cart casters, and the rattle of protest as chrome-plated sleds that until today only tasted the refined linoleum of supermarket floors are forced into service on the rough asphalt tundra.

It is time for the 2008 CHIDITAROD.

The Chiditarod starts tomorrow, March 1st at Shakespeare and Damen. On-site registration and check-in begins at 11 am. We had twice as many teams registering the second year as the first, and this year the number has doubled again. There will be three heats, each separated by twenty minutes. Alderman Scott Waguespack will fire the starting gun and the first racers will take off at 12:30. Participants will be placed in heats in the order in which they check in on Saturday morning. There will be a limited number of eggs, sausages and fruit available at the start.

As in years past, safety is our first, second, and third priority. You are responsible for keeping yourself and your team safe and in compliance with the law. That means obeying traffic signals and laws restricting public consumption of alcoholic beverages, and being respectful and responsive to pedestrians, motorists, and especially members of the Chicago Police Dept., should you have the occasion to interact with them. You must be at least 21 to participate.

This is a leave-no-trace event. Make plans to take your cart with you after the race. We are requiring teams to put down a $25 refundable CASH deposit in addition to the registration fee. You will get your money back at the finish line once you're ready to leave with your cart. Forfeiting the deposit is NOT meant to be an alternative to removing your cart from the finish line.

This year we'll have a mobile team of volunteers following you along the route. They're there to help, but also to make sure that there aren't any egregious violations of the rules. We're all about competitive spirit, but if we catch you loading your cart in the back of a pickup or taking off on a bike, don't be surprised if you find yourself going home empty-handed. Remember, carts must be full size carts with original caster wheels (or skis). A full list of rules is available on the Chiditarod website. If you're endangering yourself or others, you will be asked to stop and you may be asked to leave. All decisions of the judges are final.

As in previous years, you must finish the race with at least 25 pounds of quality, non-perishable food in your cart. This year we're splitting the food between Onward Neighborhood House, and Burners without Borders who will distribute it to churches on the south side of the city. If you have friends who aren't racing or volunteering, ask them to participate by bringing food to the start or finish line.

There are five checkpoints between the start and the finish. You must spend at least 20 minutes at each checkpoint. At each checkpoint, you'll present your race card (you'll get it when you check in) to the volunteers. After twenty minutes, they'll hand it back to you and you can go on your merry way. If you're having a blast and you want to stay longer, you're welcome to take as much time as you like at the checkpoints. You must have your race card (and have visited all the checkpoints in the correct order) to cross the finish line. The clock stops when the last member of your team finishes.

At the fourth checkpoint, you will have your choice of stopping at the Chipp Inn (832 N. Greenview) OR Five Star Bar (1424 W. Chicago Ave). You do not need to stop at both (unless you want to). The awards ceremony will be held around 4:30 or 5:00 at the finish line, which is the Cobra Lounge at 235 N. Ashland Ave. There will be a hosted bar at the finish for a limited time featuring Kilo Kai rum, courtesy of our friends at myopenbar.com.

Thanks to contributions from a number of members of the Bucktown-Wicker Park Chamber of Commerce, we have lots of great prizes to give away. That's in addition to the standard prizes of cold. hard. cash. for coming in first, coming in style, or coming with the most food in your cart. Remember, there will be more than one way to win a prize, even if you don't make it across the finish line first.

The race will be documented in serious style by a number of embedded videographers from The Chicago Methods Reporter. If you want more information or want to try to get a reporter to run with your team, check out http://www.methodsreporter.com/chiditarod/. They will be working around the clock following the race, so if you're a writer or editor or sound engineer they want your help. If you start feeling the first pangs of Chiditarod withdrawal on Monday morning, be sure to check out their website to see what they've come up with.

We can't wait to see you all out there on Saturday. It's gonna be off the hook.

-- Chiditorganizers

FORWARD THIS TO ALL YOUR TEAMMATES.