This Saturday, we ran the New York Idiotarod 2007. If you don't remember this from my experience two years ago, the basic premise is this: In a counter-culture spin off from the Iditarod, the Alaskan snow-dog race, the underground city scene has created an alternative version. Teams of 5 have to acquire a shopping cart through whatever means, and race through the city, four attached by rope and one pushing. Teams dress up in crazy costumes, deck out their cart, and it ends up being more of a halloween parade than a race. In the last few years its gained such a following, that this year became a big spectacle. There were probably two hundred teams (or a thousand people) in costume, mixed with hundreds of people just there to take pictures, and a swarm of NYPD police to make sure nothing got too out of hand. There were even NYPD helicopters flying overhead. The race changed start locations at the last minute to throw off the media and the police, which as you can imagine was barely effective, as both followed us through Brooklyn, over the Pulaski bridge, and into Queens, ultimately ending in Long Island City.
All in all, the whole thing was extremely entertaining, but the race itself has gotten kind of lost through all of the craziness that surrounds the event. In 2005 it was still about the event itself, and not about creating a scene, but with the popularity it would attract over time i guess that transition is to be expected. I'll be putting up videos later, but in the mean time here is my photo set from this year and last year. Within 24 hours after the race, there were 2000 Idiotarod pictures from this year alone posted from various racers and photographers.
Running the Idiotarod 2007
Running the Idiotarod 2005
