From the website: Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 15 miles—mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand.
Basically teams create a “vehicle” that moves over pavement, sand and through water. They must be human powered and they must be awesome. No real other expectations except that you’re going to have a good time and you’ll probably get wet. As a spectator you get to see months and months of hard work pay off in a pretty cool way. Lots of costumes and ridiculous “vehicles” that the racers hope will withstand the elements and lead them to glory.
If you live on the race path, make sure you get out and support the racers. They’ve put a ton of effort into their creations and deserve a ton of credit.
Check out the Race Guide below.
2013KsrSpectatorsGuide
If you don’t think this thing is the real deal, just take a moment to let the photos on the website blow your mind!