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This goes out to my hometown. Where else can you spend your summers playing Midnight Sun softball tournaments in 24 hour daylight, successfully gold pan in the puddles around town, and watch dozens of outhouses on wheels fly by your front door?

WARNING! The following post includes bathroom humour.

Teams are given time penalties for misconduct, such as the strewing of fake turds.

Welcome to summer-time in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada. If you don’t know where this is, don’t worry. Just start in Seattle, WA and drive 42 hours due North. You will find yourself in the Northwest of Canada, close to the Alaskan boarder.
You will also find the Great Klondike International Outhouse Race!

“It’s a race, it’s a scavenger hunt, it involves decorated outhouses on wheels, it’s completely absurd!”

Where: Dawson City, YT, Canada

When: September 1st-ish

Price: Your dignity.

What you have to do:

Mario themed team...Yes, beer counts as rehydration.

In teams of five, you propel a customized crapper along a three kilometer (1.86 mile) course through unpaved city streets. No mechanical, motorized or other type of power is allowed.
Along the route, which weaves through the once-capital of the Yukon and Heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, teams must complete task and collect items before breaking through a toilet paper finish line.

Toilet paper finish ribbon

What makes it special:

Teams are encouraged to go all out with costumes and themes. Past team names have included the following:

The Elton John
The Royal Flush
The Whizzer of Oz
The Downtown Flaming Fart
The Devout-House (Proving that the event is non-denominational, a group of Anglican ministers raised eyebrows in 1986 when they took time off from an ordination to run the race)

The costumes and designs are often pretty random, but considering the fact that the next biggest city is over 6 hours away, I think they are fust fine and dandy.

One team member must sit on the crapper at all times, and teams members take turns take turns sitting on the pot to give everyone a short rest during the race. They can change places on the run, or stop and switch.
Outhouses should look like outhouses in appearance and size. There are some basic requirements and specifications with regard to size, shape, construction materials and wheels. If the task of building a mobile shitter is too much for you, the Klondike Visitors Association has five of the beasts available for rent.

What I like about this race is that it is as fun to watch as it is to run. Plus, at only 3km, much of which you can spend sitting on a rustic toilet, it is possible for participants of all fitness abilities to finish. However, there is an impressive course record of 8 minutes and 58 seconds.