New England Running: The Great Urban Race

Before the race!

Last Saturday, my mom and I drove into Boston to check out the Great Urban Race. This was a very interesting event- more of a scavenger hunt than a race. Beginning at City Hall Plaza, the race started at noon when all the teams were given their envelope of clues. Rather than everyone sprinting away, all the participants grabbed a step or piece of ground and started pouring over the sheets and pulling out smartphones to figure out the destinations.

Assignment: honk a stranger's horn.

There were twelve clues, and from those clues, we had to derive addresses, then determine how to make it to those spots. If you were REALLY efficient, you charted out all the addresses at the beginning and had a really good game plan. This is what we tried to do, but due to a transcription error (me writing down Mass Ave for two addresses that should have been Comm Ave), we wound up going a few miles out of the way and missing a few of the challenges, which just afforded us a time penalty.

Assignment: Go to the Garment District, receive false mustache, take a picture wearing it with a stranger with an actual mustache.

All of our stops had to be documented and shown to an official at the end, so I am including some of the gems of the day here. We have quite a collection.

Assignment: Take picture in front of sculpture at MIT. Both participants must be jumping in front of it, all feet must be off the ground. (This is my favorite picture)

Assignment: Find this running store in the South End and take a picture of both teammates in front of the autographed shoe.

This race would have been impossible without having a phone or computer, which is made clear on the website. It was definitely very goofy and a lot of fun, and while it definitely would have been easier if we were more familiar with the city, I think we had a really good time. I did a MapMyRun of our course afterwards, and determined that we covered about eleven miles over the course of the day.

I left the actual clue sheet at home, but I will post the actual clues to the blog when I get back so that y'all can get a feel for what it was like! For now, enjoy the pictures. 

Assignment: Take a picture of both teammates high-fiving someone in uniform.

Sidenote: Before the race, we stopped at Faneuil Hall for some food, and got some amazing mac and cheese from a place called Mmmac and Cheese. This dish is one of my weaknesses, and this is some of the best I've ever had.
Sidenote to the Sidenote: While googling the name of the restaurant, I discovered that there is an entire blog about mac and cheese. Silly, and also amazing.