Wicked Wheelbarrow Race Policies

2026 Festival archive, Version 1. The 2026 race has concluded; these policies remain online as a reference.

The 2026 Wicked Wheelbarrow Race was free, but racers could only race or play with the wheelbarrows when the race course was open. Race volunteers were responsible for:

• Ensuring that you have read or have had the rules read to you. Are you sure you want to do this? You might hurt yourself.
• Closing the course if they have to leave or something is unsafe.
• For a time trial:
  • Timing the run and recording the results in the leaderboard.
  • Being the judge of whether you followed the race rules.

Racing or playing around with the wheelbarrows is a privilege earned by helping spread mulch or another chore in the garden. Go to Harriet's Haven, do a chore, and get a race ticket. Then you can race or play with a wheelbarrow. This applies to anyone of any age.

Once you've earned a ticket, you get one turn with one wheelbarrow. A turn is either

• Enter the race and do an official time trial. A judge will time you and record your name and time on the official leaderboard. -OR-
• Do a practice run. A volunteer will watch you, but you won't get an official time. You can have a friend or a parent help you on your practice run.

During your turn, you need to stay in your lane so that other people can have fun in their lanes.

If you want another turn, you have to go back to the garden to earn another ticket.

What Gets You In Trouble

We want you to have fun, but doing some things is no fun for other people. These are the kinds of things that will get you in trouble and end your turn early:

• Taking a wheelbarrow off the course. The 2026 course had four wheelbarrows for four lanes, and they all needed to stay there.
• Running into or across a lane while someone is doing an official time trial. That messes them up!
• Going super slow during your turn or going around and around and never finishing so people waiting don't get a turn. That's not nice!

If you want to find out what else gets you in trouble or would be really funny if it happened, just use your imagination and tell us. We'll tell you if you're right. You don't have to try it for real.