New Dads Turn Crib Chariot Into $1,500 Family Vacation Fund

Four men from a Madison church group defeated 23 other teams to win the Red Bull Chariot Race on Oct. 17. The race took place on Langdon Street in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people. The winning team, known as Fast and Fatherly, collected a cash prize of $1,500 and 60 cases of Red Bull.

None of the four members were college students, a distinction that separated them from most of the field. Three of the men are new fathers. The fourth identifies as a soon-to-be dad. They built their chariot to resemble a baby crib and decorated it with their children's toys.

Sam Peterson competed wearing a baby carrier that held a doll. He described the event as much harder than expected. His teammate, Micah Palmer, dressed as a baby during the race. Palmer said he hopes his children learn that they can humiliate themselves and still have a good time. The three fathers plan to use the $1,500 to fund a family vacation.

The event paired 24 teams into 12 head-to-head races. Competitors started outside Memorial Union and raced to a turnaround at Lake Street. At that point, they solved a Red Bull Puzzle and switched positions before racing back. Judges evaluated the chariot construction, creativity, and a pre-race skit. Red Bull provided each team with $200 for building costs.

The Eagle Has Landed finished second. The team performed a patriotic skit that included a choreographed lift. Senior Joe Jaroski, a Wisconsin cheer team member dressed as Uncle Sam, spent hours preparing the lift with fellow senior Erin Kelly. Matt Kleist, another teammate, called the race a memorable senior year experience. Grouchiator Maximus took third place. Minion Mayos finished fourth with about 30 supporters dressed as Minions on the sidelines.

Aaron Colton, a professional motorcycle stunt performer, served as one of three judges. He noted that creativity accounted for more than half of the scoring. He called the puzzle the great equalizer. The other judges were Kayla Ruedebusch, a Madison-based creator, and Jay Wanserski, a bar owner. Ruedebusch stated that the show elements set this race apart from other events.

Madison was the fifth stop on Red Bull's nine-stop tour. The company said the tour visits primarily college towns. Jada Cerniglia, a UW-Madison volleyball alumna, and Tommy Violet, a Milwaukee comedian, hosted the event for the first time. Colton had judged two previous races on the tour.