The Lakefill’s bicycle track turned into a speedway Saturday when residential college members pushed shopping carts and slung verbal taunts in the annual Masters’ Mile race.

Students pushed their masters in shopping carts around the Lakefill using a relay system, with residents placed strategically around the path. Some masters padded their carts with pillows to absorb shocks along the bumpy ride.

Public Affairs Residential College finished first, clocking a time of 3:19. The next two finishers failed to give PARC serious competition, but when the Lindgren Residential College of Science and Engineering was still going strong at the half, PARC started to worry.

“We might have to lay down in front of the finish line,” one PARC resident cried.

Lindgren’s run was tainted when they cut a corner on the final turn. PARC members instantly became outraged, shouting, “Cheaters!” and, “They cut the corner!”

But the scandal proved irrelevant when Lindgren’s final time was about half a second slower than PARC’s.

PARC members dedicated their victory to former assistant master Jon Bay, who died in December 1999. Their victory was due to “innate superiority,” said Joe Vess, a Medill senior.

But the stiffest competition might not have showed. David Uttal, Shepard Residential College assistant master, came with a bicycle helmet strapped on, ready for a swift ride. But when no Shepard residents materialized, Uttal justified their absence.

“The field didn’t merit an entry from Shepard this year,” he said. “We wanted to give others a sense of belief in themselves. We’ll make our dominance known once again next year.”