An Urban Race

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Hooray! Another 101 List item down – Participate In An Urban Race.

Saturday was a perfect day to be out and about, especially if you’re in the mood for solving clues and exploring a city. Our good friends came to Dallas to play along. Our team name?

People in Masks Cannot Be Trusted
(Bonus points if you know the movie reference and post it in the comments!!)

Our team!
The name and masks? My idea. The t-shirts? Our good friend John’s. The sassiness and good humor? Well, that was brought by all.

Would you trust this masked woman?
The race started with a multiple choice puzzle. Solve the puzzle to find the clues for the rest of the race. Thank goodness we had iPhones. Seriously.

Know the answer? Double bonus points if you answer in the comments!
The race involved solving a series of clues and taking a photo of all team members at each solution.
What type of clues, you wonder? Things like:
Q: Old Man Withers! This bar definitely would have the likes of Velma, Daphne and Fred checking it out. You’ll find it located within a 1/4 mile of where Mark Cuban gets his biggest fines in Big D. {A=Ghost Bar, W Hotel, Victory Park}
Found it!
And:
Q: Don’t overthink this one: Burnt, Navel, Syracuse. Find the salon located within 1/4 mile of the Baylor DART station that shares a common word with the 3 words above. {A=Orange – solution, Orange Salon, Main Street}
Photographing our reflection was the only way to make this one work.
We also had a challenge to solve.
Challenge: Don’t eat this one: (Mandatory!!) Head to Crow Asian Art Museum where you’ll be instructed to perform a task. Once you have successfully completed the task you must take a photo with the instructor. It closes early! {Challenge=fold origami lotus}

Thank heavens good friend Stacie is a pro at papercrafts.There were also opportunities to earn bonuses, which would reduce our overall race time.

Bonus: Home Team: find people wearing paraphernalia in any combination of the Dallas sports teams.

Found a Mavs fan, got a photo and convinced her to put her jacket on to thwart other teams.

It took us just over two and a half hours to complete the race – not bad at all. In fact, we placed 15th out of 60 teams. Good enough to qualify for the national competition in New Orleans!

Some team members took the celebration a bit far…security was NOT amused.

It was great fun and we’re seriously thinking about competing in New Orleans. But we have learned some valuable lessons that we’ll bring to the race next time.

  • Advanced preparation is absolutely necessary – maps, knowledge of quirky tourist spots and local businesses are key.
  • Comms are crucial – cell phones and/or radio headsets are more than helpful; they keep the team connected.
  • Knowledge of local transport – not just where it runs, but when it runs and how it relates to the city center. (Note to team: buy transport tickets in advance!)
  • Have defined roles – know who will look and who will solve, who will run and who will map a route.

Think we have a chance in New Orleans?

It will take a miracle!!!
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1 Comment

  1. s_hayley@yahoo.com says: Reply

    Update: Our official time was 2:34:19.

    http://www.citysolveurbanrace.com/blog/2010/04/12/yo-big-d-look-whos-going-to-nola/

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