On Your Mark. Get Set. Race!

Playing with your food was not only allowed at this week's , it was mandatory.

And fortunately for event organizers, they had no problem finding enough children willing to get down and dirty with the produce.

Rather than hosting a typical pinewood derby race, organizers instead encouraged children ages 3 to 16 to buy a zucchini and mold it into a lean, mean (and green) fighting machine.

More than 100 people showed up on the farmers market site at First and Elm.

The market provided free axles and wheels, but the rest of the design was left up to the children.

Zucchinis were weighed and raced with other entries of comparable weight. In the end, the decked-out veggies ranged in weight from 1 pound 14 ounces to 5 pounds 4 ounces.

Nine heats were run, with ribbons given to the first- through third-place winners in each race.

Natalie Rankine, director of , which oversees the farmers market, said it was fun watching the excitement on the faces of preschoolers through high schools.

"It was really cool to see the wide range of participation," she said. "We had a constant stream of kids coming into the market to make cars all day and we actually had to run out to get more supplies because we ran out."

Did you attend the races? If so, you can upload your own photos using the link above.