This weekend, Corvallis plans to get a little more colorful as giant human-powered sculptures roll through for the Graand Kinetic Challenge. The two-day race begins at PRAx of Oregon State University before winding through campus and climbing a sand dune at the Benton County Fairgrounds.
On Saturday the 18th, the Graand Kinetic Challenge will begin and the next day, racers will take on a mud bog at Crystal Lake Sports Park before launching into the Willamette River and finishing at Riverfront Park. While the course may sound challenging, that’s only part of what makes the Graand Kinetic Challenge unlike any other race.
Every machine is entirely human-powered while doubling as a moving work of art, a mixture of engineering, creativity and imagination.
“STEAM really fits the way Corvallis looks at things,” Race Director Stacey Newman Weldon said. “We’re really a mix of engineers, scientists, and artists.”
While many returning teams have spent years refining their sculptures, one local team is taking on the challenge for the very first time. That creativity comes to life this year, featuring sculptures ranging from a tiger, a hot dog and a banana float, each built to tackle pavement, sand, mud and water.
Returning to the course this year is “The Glory,” one of Corvallis’s longtime kinetic sculptures weighing about 2,700 pounds with five pilots aboard. The machine will debut with custom-built floating tires designed to tackle the challenges. Built in the early 2000s, “The Glory” remains one of the event’s most recognizable competitors.
While some teams continue refining years of work, others are just getting started.
“The Silly Sepals”, made up of artists and students of Corvallis, signed up with just three weeks to build their first kinetic sculpture.
“It’s all about the grand idea and then failing up,’ Weldon said. “You learn from that, and then you fix it and go on.”
That philosophy extends beyond the racers themselves. Weldon said the event encourages people to work together, learn from each other and enjoy the process as much as the finish line.
Beyond the competition, spectators can expect plenty of pageantry. Teams are also encouraged to interact with everyone, including judges and spectators, through a light-hearted “bribery tradition,” often handing out homemade treats, artwork and other creative gifts.
Saturday’s festivities begin with a Le Mans-style start, where pilots sprint toward their sculptures before setting off across Corvallis.
Alongside the race, visitors can also explore Corvallis Kaleidoscope at the PRAx, a STEAM festival featuring hands-on exhibits and activities.
While the sand dune tests racers’ endurance on Saturday, Sunday’s mud bog and river crossing remain some of the weekend’s biggest draws.
Teams have just 15 minutes to make it through the mud before transforming their sculptures into floating vehicles for the journey down the Willamette River. Spectators can watch from the Van Buren Bridge as the sculptures drift beneath them before making their way to Riverfront Park.
For Weldon, however, the Graand Kinetic Challenge is about more than making it across the finish line.
“I see my job as creating the space for others to also fall in love with it,” Weldon said.
For more information, visit https://www.davincidays.org/
