Urban Challenge Race

Two-person teams spend up to 5 hours racing around a city on foot or by public transportation, solving clues to get them through 12 checkpoints. While brain power and foot power are important, wireless internet or cell phone access to friends for internet searching is needed to solve many of the clues. Held in over a dozen US cities each year, with a Nationals final. This is "Millionaire" trivia meets "The Amazing Race" and you need your lifelines!

The event is held on a weekend day in various cities throughout the year, with the Nationals in the fall.
Urban Challenge

The price is $150 per team, but there are often early registration discounts, online registration discounts, coupons and other promotions bringing it as low as $99 per team. Those without a team mate can register for $75 and get matched or pay the full fee. Entrants under 18 must have a valid high school ID. The number of teams per event is limited to 250.
Urban Challenge

Teams check in and take a trivia challenge to determine their start seeding. They receive their Checkpoint Clues sheet and a digital camera and must begin at a designated checkpoint and find the checkpoints in order, taking a photo of both team members together at each checkpoint. Along the way, find Skip Man and you can skip the checkpoint of your choice. Teams may only go on foot or by public transportation - bus, train, subway, light rail, etc.

Examples of past clues and checkpoints are on the Urban Challenge web site. They range from literature to music to sports to history and even trivia buffs have difficulty solving them without doing internet searches. Teams need cell phone access to friends at home who are internet search gurus, or to have their own wireless internet access and sit down and solve the clues before racing through the checkpoints. Maps of the city and public transportation passes are also needed.

All participants get an Urban Challenge T-shirt and a goodie bag. Those completing all checkpoints in order in under 5 hours receive the Urban Challenge medal for each team mate.

Distance covered on foot is in the range of 10 miles over 5 hours. Walkers can complete the course in the time limit. Access to the internet to solve the clues, mapping out the route, taking advantage of public transportation, not wasting time, are the keys to finishing successfully. While running teams have a speed advantage, walking teams who solve clues better can easily come in ahead of them.

Team Walking.about.com Races the Urban Challenge
It was a truly fantastic expererience and we look forward to doing it again, this time with wireless internet access and lining up our internet search gurus at home.