During Friday’s summer concert, Los Alamos County Parks and Recreation Division employee Vera Jaramillo stands beside the gravity cart she built. Jaramillo said it took her a day to construct the cart. Her advice to anyone interested in constructing a cart to compete in the upcoming Bathtub Gravity Race is ‘just make it fun’.  Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

The upcoming Los Alamos Bathtub Gravity Race is a quintessential Los Alamos event. It promotes a few things beloved in this town: creativity, fun, and a bit of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

The race will be held at 1 p.m. Oct. 12 in front of the Aquatic Center. Actually, there are two races: a gravity race and a push race. They will take off from the intersection of Central Avenue and Canyon Road and finish at the pool parking lot.

There are a few rules to consider. Firstly, no matter the race, competitors need to wear a helmet.

If competing in the gravity race, the rules are:

• Carts must have a minimum of three wheels.
• No propulsion devices other than gravity may be used.
• Carts must have functional brakes capable of stopping the vehicle
• No sharp edges or dangerous points are allowed.
• Use of feet or hands to push the cart is prohibited.

If competing in the push race, competitors will need to push their carts uphill before racing back down to the finish line.

The event is open to anyone 3 years old and older. Participants will be divided into four age groups: 3 to 6-year-olds, 7 to 11-year-olds, 12 to 15-year-olds, and 17-year-olds and older.  Anyone younger than age 15 needs to have a parent or guardian present. Anyone who is 6 years old or younger is encouraged to have an adult helper.

Prizes will be awarded to first through third place finishers, and a special award will be given to the best themed cart.

A Lego trophy will be given to the younger races, and conventional trophies will be distributed to the rest.

Recreation Superintendent Katherine Hudspeth said this is the first time the event has been held.

“It was kind of different, kind of kooky that we thought we would try and do,” she said.

Recreation Program Manager Brandan Tuning agreed, saying people are encouraged to gear their race carts towards being like a bathtub, but really, it can be anything.

“This is an opportunity for them to bring out any cart that they put together or find,” he said.

If wondering where to start, Tuning said using an old lawnmower or tricycle is a good start to build the race cart’s base. If people need ideas, there are links to YouTube videos and references on the County’s website.

Hudspeth encourages people to dig into their ingenuity, saying, “This is another opportunity for Los Alamos to show off its uniqueness with a little bit of a science twist.”

Tuning said County staff were encouraged to get in on the fun, and that challenge was accepted.

“For a first time try… they did pretty good,” he said. The public can check out the County’s race cart at Friday’s summer concert.

The event is free, but registration is required. Register by Oct. 9 at https://www.losalamosnm.us/Events-Directory/LA-Bathtub-Gravity-Race

All participants will need to sign a liability waiver.