Well folks, The Boston Urban Iditarod, a costumed pub crawl/fundraiser, has now turned into a bit of an Idita-drama.

Boston.com is reporting that The Boston Urban Iditarod “received a cease-and-desist notice from the Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc., asking them to remove their trademarked name from the race.” Which means that from here on out, The Boston Urban Iditarod will be called the “Boston Urban Idiotorama.” How… appropriate?

The Boston event is a fun Idiotorama, indeed. With people running up and down the streets, “replacing dogs with people, winter gear with costumes and sleds with shopping carts,” as described on their Facebook. The shopping cart race is typically a big hit with residents and raises money for a good cause, benefitting the Boston Medical Center Food Pantry. A goofy and harmless event? Sure.

But I can’t lie – when I first heard of “The Boston Urban Iditarod race,” my mind immediately thought – like the Alaskan dog sled race? Oops. And while I’m relieved to know that this is not, in fact, the case (and dogs will not be harmed), using the name “Iditarod” is way too close for comfort, at least if you’re not already familiar with the Boston event. After all, the Alaskan Iditarod race is a world famous event – one that an elementary school child could educate you on.

That being said, it seems the Boston shopping cart race isn’t the only “Iditarod” event to have been issued a cease-and-desist notice from The Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc. No, according to Boston.com, the “letters were sent out to similar races across the country, including one in New York City that was held last week.”

We’ll have to see how the Boston Urban Idiotorama catches on with Bostonians. For those who want to participate, the renamed race will take place March 1. Sign up and other information can be found here.

Image via Facebook