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Post by LHR02 on Oct 10, 2003 5:59:41 GMT -5
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Post by Kim on Oct 10, 2003 10:41:38 GMT -5
That sounds COOL! But the clues would be damn hard! ;D
I'm posting it here so everyone doesn't have to register if they don't want..
On vacation in Las Vegas from their home in Kettering, England, Mike and Bridget Dowsett were standing in front of the New York-New York Casino last Saturday morning when two men wearing floppy hats and running shoes, clutching cellphones and maps, came rushing up to them and thrust a digital camera in their direction.
"Will you take our picture?" one of the men asked breathlessly, as they both craned their heads up to make sure that they were positioned in front of the casino's copy of the Statue of Liberty. Mr. Dowsett, slightly startled by the urgency of the request, nevertheless obliged, quickly taking a snapshot. Seconds later, with a rushed "Thanks," the men took their camera back, sprinted down Las Vegas Boulevard and were gone from view, swallowed up by the crowds.
"I have no idea what they are doing," Mr. Dowsett said to his wife with a bewildered smile.
What these two men were doing — along with about 70 other people running around Las Vegas on this early October weekend — was taking part in Urban Challenge, an eclectic cocktail of a sporting event that is one part "Amazing Race," one part "Where's Waldo?" and a jigger of "Whad'Ya Know?" It is one of a growing number of adventure races taking place across the country, many demanding athletic prowess for climbing mountains and crossing rivers. In contrast to those, Urban Challenge relies as heavily on mental skills as on physical agility, a formula that seems to have broad appeal: more than 7,000 people have raced in 22 cities since its first race in Phoenix in 2002, and a national championship (with a $50,000 first prize) will take place in New Orleans in November.
The premise is straightforward: two-person teams, using nothing but their feet and public transportation, try to beat out other competitors as they hit 12 checkpoints in a given city (and record their accomplishments with a digital camera) before crossing the finish line.
But figuring out where those checkpoints are is part of the competition. A 30-question trivia contest before the race determines in what order the participants will begin the staggered start (a few minutes separates the groups of teams), and a series of brainteasers must be solved if the contestants want to figure out the race's precise route.
Take the Statue of Liberty. Locating it wasn't as easy as, say, answering the question, "What New York landmark has found an unlikely home on the Las Vegas Strip?"
Not quite. Instead, competitors are given this conundrum:
"According to Greek mythology, who caused the first winter? Substitute the number of the alphabet for each letter in the answer (A=1, B=2, . . . Z=26), total those numbers, and divide the sum by the number of letters in the answer.
"If the quotient is less than zero, then the Lion is Checkpoint 7.
"If the quotient is between 7 and 9, then the big bottle of Coca-Cola is Checkpoint 7.
"If the quotient is between 9 and 11, then the Statue of Liberty is Checkpoint 7."
You get the idea.
But let's say you don't know that Demeter brought winter's chill. Neither do most of the other contestants, which is why they come equipped with cellphones, palmtops with Internet capabilities, Global Positioning devices, two-way radios and anything else they think might help them find the information they need fast. Some go so far as to set up involved multi-person, multi-city Web-based support rings for clue-breaking and navigating.
And some just rely on the kindness of strangers. Though the race rules insist that competitors "do not knock on strangers' doors" for help with photos ("People don't like that," the race handbook admonishes), contestants often develop a sort of camaraderie with race onlookers.
Steve and Michelle Behm, teachers from Las Vegas, were having trouble figuring out the right checkpoints, and at one point in the race, their frustration bubbled over. As they made their way down the Strip, Mrs. Behm screamed out to no one in particular, "What is a Mediterranean island and city off of Spain?"
From the crowd, someone shouted the answer: "Ibiza. Party capital of the world."
Off to Checkpoint 9, a dance club called Ibiza.
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izaguf
Full Travel Member
Posts: 27
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Post by izaguf on Oct 10, 2003 11:32:43 GMT -5
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Post by Kim on Oct 10, 2003 14:08:26 GMT -5
Bring on the Canadian version! I would love to do that.
I think I have to move to the US, there are so many cool things that we don't have!
Kim
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Post by LHR02 on Oct 10, 2003 15:48:44 GMT -5
FWIW.......just 'protecting' the site by not posting entire articles. Most are copywrited and easily accessible with a quick, free registration to whatever site I got it from. I don't post links to things that are 'pay only'. I don't think there is anything illegal about posting a link, posting full articles 'could' cause problems. Anyone round these parts an attorney that could clarify this for me??
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