Shoppers, take your mark, RUN!
What's speedy, squeaky, covered in spandex and pushed all over?
The racers Sunday in Asheville's first Idiotarod, a 5K shopping cart race aimed to raise money for a local charity.
The event, something akin to an Alaskan dog sled race, will require costumed teams of five to push or pull a shopping cart through about three miles of obstacles, challenges and community service tasks.
“The most appealing thing is not the costumes — not the spandexed Batmans and Supermans or pilots with their costumed ‘airplane' carts — or all the silliness in general. It's the community involvement,” said race director Richard Handy.
Handy, who moved to the area from New York City, where he first participated in an idiotarod, is using the money garnered from the race to benefit his own charity — the 12 Day Project.
The charity focuses on organizing volunteers to assist with projects across Western North Carolina one weekend a month.
The Idiotarod's instructions are simple enough. Dress in costume. Bring a shovel, a shopping cart, a hammer and $10 in singles. And, oh yeah, don't be afraid to lose a little dignity.
The race will start at 11 a.m. Sunday at 900 Riverside Drive in the tractor-trailer parking area of the Silver-Line Plastics Corp.
The participants will be required to buy groceries — which will later be donated to MANNA FoodBank — help on a construction site, do a little work in a community garden and more.
“My intention is to use the race as community development,” said Handy, 34, of Black Mountain. “It's amazing. You're having the most ridiculous, absurd, hysterical time dressed like complete idiots all while helping the community.”
It was those elements of charity, fun and silliness that attracted Rosman runner and high school teacher Sara Cathey, 50, to the event.
“We were looking for a fun event,” said Cathey, who is running with four other members from her local running group. “We're dressing up in a wrestling theme — masks, capes and things like that.”
The race has created a lot of buzz around town and in other small running groups like Cathey's.
Another team has formed from the Black Mountain Runners, a group that gets together and runs a couple of times a week.
“We're just going to have a lot of fun,” said Jen Marsh, of the Black Mountain group who named the team Super Turbolicious Divas, or “STDS,” and plan on wearing lots of spandex, capes and knee-high socks.
Lindsay Nash writes about entertainment for take5. E-mail lindsaynash@yahoo.com.
Additional Facts
IF YOU GO
What: The Idiotarod, a 5K shopping cart race.
When: 11 a.m. Sunday.
Where: Riverside Drive, Asheville.
How much: $20 per person, or $100 per team of five.
The after-party: Wedge Brewing Co., featuring Zach Blew and Levi Douglas performing live. Feel free to shake your spandex, dress, fish costume, toga or whatever the heck else you might be wearing.
Information: ashevilleidiotarod@gmail.com.
On the Net: http://www.ashevilleidiotarod.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment