Are You Up For The Challenge?

August 15, 2002 3:56 PM

Are You Up For The Challenge? It's about adventure! Urban Challenge is not how fast or how far you run or how well you know the city. Did Columbus know the seas well enough to look for a new route to the West Indies? Did Lewis & Clark adequately train for their expedition to find the Northwest Passage?
posted by Gargantuan (15 comments total)

Damn! The one for NYC was Aug 3rd!!
Must check in on it later, maybe I won't have to wait too long for the next one...
posted by Busithoth at 4:04 PM on August 15, 2002

Wow...I don't know about the other races, but that Chicago challenge would have been a bitch! I can't believe it only took some of these people 2 hours. I'd love to do the next one.
posted by mathis23 at 4:23 PM on August 15, 2002

Yikes! The entry fee for Raleigh is $75.00 per person.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:28 PM on August 15, 2002

I'd do this in a heartbeat if there was one in Austin. Based on the questions I've seen, not being in your home town would make this next to impossible.
posted by birdherder at 5:18 PM on August 15, 2002

My girlfriend and I did the Denver race and we had a blast while finishing 14th from a field of 60. I can't recommend it enough. I had no idea how little I really knew about my city until I spent a whole day hoofing it from one end to the other.
posted by BoatMeme at 5:36 PM on August 15, 2002

Based on the questions I've seen, not being in your home town would make this next to impossible.

I dunno. It was fairly difficult IN my hometown, although I've lived within the bounds of the course for 6 years. The key for us was our crack research team back at homebase. Two broadband-equipped PCs, 3 peeps, and 3 cell phones. I think if you had the benefit of a research team, you could manage in another city. Still, a certain geographic familiarity helps for the getting around part.

One of the Urban Challenge crew said that the 4th place finisher in Phoenix did not use a cellphone/research team.

Further, there are the pics from our race here.
posted by BoatMeme at 5:46 PM on August 15, 2002

This looks like great fun! About the only "reality TV" show I watched completely was Race Around the World and this seems a bit like a mini version of that. My town doesn't seem to be there though ;-{

Using a "research team" seems a bit unsporting, though. I know it's allowed in the rules, but still...
posted by dg at 6:00 PM on August 15, 2002

Um Columbus wanted to find a new route to India, not the West Indies. He found the Americas, hence the West Indies are called the West Indies.
posted by riffola at 6:27 PM on August 15, 2002

Wow cool. It would be even cooler if it was global in nature with a serious prize. Passport stop #12 South Pole. Stop #13 Bora Bora. etc..
posted by stbalbach at 7:00 PM on August 15, 2002

What would make this great is if the participants were given the span of a week where the organizers would call them up at any hour and say "Play starts in 15 minutes at " and hang up ... then you introduce another element of game play ... dropping everything and going NOW!
posted by bryanzera at 9:09 PM on August 15, 2002

stbalbach: See http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/ :) It's actually a pretty enteratining show..
posted by benh57 at 11:03 PM on August 15, 2002

The Washington, D.C. race is in two weeks, but even if I win, I wouldn't have the time for the prize: a trip to Vegas. :(
posted by brownpau at 11:41 PM on August 15, 2002

benh (and newbies): Please try to post working links; it's just a little HTML, it's not that hard, especially if you have IE.

It's disappointing there's no way to sign up for next year's race (assuming it won't be until next year). I signed up for the newsletter, which disconcertingly does not tell you that "no 3rd parties" will see it, until after you press Submit.
posted by dhartung at 11:57 PM on August 15, 2002

Amazing Race I just read the website (dont have a TV) and looks cool although a bit staged since its made for TV. I think a race made for the sake of the race would have a lot more potential but yeah this is not a new idea
posted by stbalbach at 6:06 AM on August 16, 2002

In New York we have this. No registration fee, no TV cameras. We were out from 9 pm to 7ish the next morning.
posted by lackutrol at 7:35 AM on August 16, 2002