KIDitarod Race to Collect Food, Raise Awareness at Figment Festival View Full Caption

JEFFERSON PARK — Teams of kids — along with their grownups, of course — will race around Jefferson Memorial Park as part of the Figment Festival Aug. 16 to fight hunger in Chicago.

KIDitarod is designed to allow children to experience the chaotic fun of the annual CHIditarod, said Hannah Aubry, one of the race's organizers.

"It is a lot of fun to watch the kids race around the park," Aubry said.

Heather Cherone says the event was inspired by adults who have particiated in the CHIditirod:

During the race, 10 teams of one to three kids age 6 to 12 — accompanied by one to two adults — dressed in crazy and creative costumes will pull decorated Radio Flyer wagons around the park and race through 11 checkpoints and interactive art exhibits, some designed to raise awareness about hunger in Chicago.

"It is nice to get the kids started early, thinking about these issues," Aubry said.

KIDitarod was founded by adults who loved running the CHIditarod, and wanted an event for their kids, Aubry said.

The CHIditarod, on the first Saturday in March, takes over streets on the Near West Side with a race modeled on the Alaskan Iditarod to raise money and food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. In the CHIditarod, racers use shopping carts instead of sleds and costumed people pull the cart instead of dogs.

The 2013 CHIditarod created more than 14,000 meals for local consumption, organizers said.

The first KIDitarod at last year's Figment Festival in Garfield Park featured 10 teams and collected 169 pounds of food, Aubry said.

"It is not about winning," Aubry said. "Everyone will get a medal. It is more about seeing Figment and doing the checkpoints."

Last year, a team decorated their wagon with scenes from the "Despicable Me" movies and another transformed their wagon to look like a tank and decorated it with peace signs, Aubry said.

Figment, a free festival, "encourages participants to play, dance, sing, create, engage, experiment and explore their environment," according to the festival's website.

Race participants should bring non-perishable food to the welcoming gates of the festival.

Teams must register in advance, and there is a $25 refundable deposit for the wagon.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: