The GREAT Urban Race

This past weekend Phil and I competed in the Great Urban Race (GUR). The GUR is part Amazing Race part scavenger hunt. The rules of the game are as follows, each team is given an envelope with twelve clues. You can do the clues in any order you wish and you are allowed to skip one clue, but you are not allowed to skip Detours. If you skip any additional clues (excluding the Detours) you will be penalized 30 minutes. You are not allowed to use any form of private transportation including, but not limited to, cars, taxis, bikes, skateboards, etc. Public transportation and high tech devices (i.e. iPhones, GPS, laptops, etc.) are encouraged.

Phil and I brought our cell phones, a digital camera and a handheld GPS. We also worked with a couple from my work and they had cell phones, a digital camera and a car GPS. The race began at East Andrews Café & Bar at high noon in Buckhead (north of downtown Atlanta). The clues took us to three different areas of Atlanta which were, Buckhead, Midtown (downtown area) and Little Five Points (southeastern Atlanta).

We first did a clue in Buckhead and then took a minute to figure out some of the other clues. After that, we jumped on the subway to go to Little Five Points. We found the first clue in this area relatively easily, but then when we went to complete the next clue, we couldn’t find it! It was suppose to be in Freedom Park, but we ran from one end of the park to the other (about 1.25 miles and thirty minutes) and never found it. We decided that we had to move on and skip that clue.

We next got back on the subway to complete the tasks in Midtown. These all went very fast and had no problems with any of them.

Finally, we headed back up to Buckhead on the subway to complete a few more tasks. The clues that directed us to an exact destination were easy, but we still had a Detour that we had to complete: find either a glass Coca-Cola bottle or a peach pit. We decided that the peach pit would be easier, but after we had gone to two grocery stores we found out that it wasn’t going to be so easy.

We decided to check another grocery store and in the process, took a wrong turn. By this time it was about 4:30 PM and the course closed at 5 PM. We were feeling defeated and wondered if we should just cut our losses and pack it up. But as a last ditch effort we called the grocery store to see if they had any peaches – they did! We ran as fast as we could to the grocery store and got there at about 4:45 PM. I ran in and purchased the peaches and we quickly removed the pit. It was about a mile back to the finish and I was determined to make it, but I was tired, hungry and somewhat dehydrated, but we managed to cross the finish line at 4:55 PM! Overall we finished 157th out of 240 teams, but in the end, it was more about the experience than where we finished, plus, we had a blast!

We were so tired, I couldn’t believe it, I knew I had probably run something like six miles, but when we got home, Phil calculated how much we ran and it came to a little over 10 miles! No wonder I was so beat!

After the finish of the race we were given some interesting information. First, the first place team actually skipped the two clues in Little Five Points and took a 30-minute penalty (wish we would have done that.) Second, the first place team came in 30 minutes after what the race officials had expected, which means that the course was actually longer than they had intended. And third, I guess one of the top teams that finished was a pair of girls that ran the ENTIRE thing. They didn’t step foot on a bus, train, or anything! I couldn’t believe it, good for them.

To see more pictures of the race and the clues, visit my facebook album by clicking here.