The race was run! Awards were won! Much food was gathered! A lot of people went home with muddy shoes from dancing in the park! It was a great day, one for the record books. The weather was the best we’ve had yet. Year one was very warm, the day we raced temperatures in Cotati were in the mid-80’s. Not a great day for a furry dog suit! Last year it rained all morning while people were decorating carts and preparing for the race. This year we had the weather on our side. Not too hot, not too cold, no rain to speak of, and a lovely day overall.

This was our first year having Tony McCoy join us in the park to DJ the event. Everyone loved having the music, and Tony did a great job reading the crowd. The after party and awards ceremony were banging thanks to Tony and his tunes. Watching everyone come together to groove out in the mud in the park and on the dance floor at Friar Tucks was a highlight of the day.

I know, you’re here to find out who won. With no further ado I present to you the awards!

  • Most Food Donated – Resurrection Roller Derby
  • Best Costumes – Crash Test Dummies
  • Best Decorated Cart –
    • 1st place Men in Black
    • 2nd place Birds & Bees
    • 3rd place Crash Test Dummies
  • Speed – Resurrection Roller Derby
  • Best Sabotage – Resurrection Roller Derby
  • Spirit of the Event – Rock Me Like a Hurricane
  • Best Art Cart – Men in Black
  • Dead Fucking Last – Men in Black
  • Best Individual Costume – Thomas Hensler for the Raven
  • Rock Star Volunteer – Serene Cooper aka Mighty

We gathered a total of 929 pounds of food and $1,007.56 to donate to the Redwood Empire Food Bank. That is a total of 2,789 meals according to Ali, who came out from the food bank for a day in the park with us (and thank you for checking my math!). We are grateful for the cash donations and sponsorships, from Oliver’s Market and some other generous individuals in the community, for the $50 in gift card donations from Lucky’s and Safeway, plus a $60 shopping spree from Trader Joe’s which added to the food donations. We have turned all that over to REFB so they can get it to someone who needs a good meal.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made it a great day! The volunteers, racers, organizers, and everyone in the community who came out to support this amazing race – thank you for braving the mud and having fun doing good. Our Third Annual shopping cart race is a wrap.