<p>Welcome to the Idiotarod, where sabotage is encouraged, elaborate costumes are required, and physical stamina is an afterthought. This five-mile (eight-kilometer) race through <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/united-states/new-york-guide/">New York City</a> in winter is only for the (fool)hardiest. The <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/american-festivals/">American Festivals Project</a> captured the madness in 2009.<br> <br> Here, a competitor from Team Scuba takes a breather and obstructs racers on the Manhattan Bridge.</p> <p>Read more about the Idiotarod on the <a href="http://americanfestivalsproject.net">American Festivals Project blog</a>.</p>

Idiotarod Racers, Manhattan Bridge

Welcome to the Idiotarod, where sabotage is encouraged, elaborate costumes are required, and physical stamina is an afterthought. This five-mile (eight-kilometer) race through New York City in winter is only for the (fool)hardiest. The American Festivals Project captured the madness in 2009.

Here, a competitor from Team Scuba takes a breather and obstructs racers on the Manhattan Bridge.

Read more about the Idiotarod on the American Festivals Project blog.

Photograph by Andrew Owen, American Festivals Project

Idiotarod

See photos of the 2009 Idiotarod shopping cart race in Brooklyn, New York, in this American Festivals Project travel photo gallery from National Geographic.

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