And they’re off. via Flickr user Mandy_Moon

Think of the great races in history. The Ironman triathlon. The Tour de France. The New York City Marathon. Booooring. Where are the costumes? The props? The casual alcohol abuse? Running towards a goal just isn’t all that exciting. Getting a team together to push a shopping cart and stop in at a bar along the way? Now that’s excitement. And it’s coming at us next week, in the form of the Idiotarod.

For the uninitiated, the Idiotarod is exactly what was described above: get a shopping cart, get four of your friends to form a team, make some costumes for yourselves and you’re off and running. The route is secret until the day before the race, but you can be sure it will be grueling and take up your day, so make sure you guys are at least in shape enough to push a shopping cart around  unfriendly terrain, rain or shine (or snow, if we EVER get any). If you want to enter, email Idiotarodnyc (at) yahoo.com and RSVP on their Facebook page. Plus there’s also a party afterwards, so that’s always nice.