John and Marcy Beard
John and Marcy Beard are two Texans who live a few hours outside of Paris.
Not Paris, Texas but Paris, France. Confused? That’s OK.
The Beards are Urban Challenge’s other husband and wife Magnificent
Seven team. In addition, these French-ified Texans also happen to be the very
first team to capture the Urban Challenge $50,000 national purse. Back in ’02
John and Marcy struggled and scrapped it out on the Las Vegas strip to take
home Urban Challenge’s inaugural season Grand Prize. We caught up with
our favorite ex-patriates in their new French digs for some Q&A.
So you two won the very first $50,000 national prize in ‘02,
did you go to Disneyland or what?
We went to IHOP and left a big tip.
Take us through that fateful day in November of ‘02, or maybe
just some highlights.
SEMI’S - We had no idea what to expect in Las Vegas. It was mayhem
in the morning – our support crew computer network was down at the start,
John left his backpack at CP4, we ran the wrong way a few times, we passed
cluelessly by the Skip Guy and Dog, neither of us came up with “Show
Me the Chicken” even though we had seen it during scouting, and we waited
seemingly forever for a bus to the finish line. Our saving grace was skipping
the tough clue at UNLV and our crew was on the ball with the rest. We were
astonished to arrive in 6th place, barely a minute or two ahead of 7th through
9th, somehow making it into the finals after all that had happened.
FINALS - In the evening race we enjoyed chatting with the other teams on
the way to the start. The atmosphere was friendly, with everyone trying their
best but not at the expense of other teams. We didn’t find a stumper
clue until we got to UNLV where we had to find a botanical garden and a small
plaque in the garden. At night. Without lights (gee, we forgot the sun would
go down). It took us a very long time, and our hats are off to Jake and Jeff
for taking the chance and skipping it. As we were running back to the Strip,
I was hoping the finish line party wouldn’t be over when we eventually
got there. We even stopped to buy water. We spotted the Skip Team and CP’s
7 and 8, the crew got us to #9-11, and then we were on a bus to the finish.
A woman who had seen the morning race asked, “Are you STILL running?” We
came to the finish to find a huge cheering crowd, which was really cool, and
then we found out that Jake and Jeff had an incorrect photo and there was
a question about the photos of the Fluffy Bunnies. We were next in line. WHAT?
The crew stayed up late to find out, after much waiting, that we had won!
We still cannot believe it.
For anyone interested in the full story, we posted it here.
Compare your ‘02 finals experience to that of the New Orleans finals
in ‘03
The morning race = new city, same mayhem, new problems, same running in
circles. There were some tough clues in the semifinals. We got very lucky
with bus timing, but otherwise we struggled in a major way. Our crew did great
in figuring out that there were multiple versions of the clue tubes, helping
us make sure we had a complete set of good photos. We crossed the line in
13th place and it was a miracle that it was enough to make it to the finals
(just barely, again!), as a result of DQ’s ahead of us.
The finals = a reunion with some of the same teams from 2002, same high
level of sportsmanship and fast solving. We saw the Google Guys zoom away
from the pack, with the Fluffy Bunnies and Oozing Monkeys just ahead of us.
We had another lucky bus catch and we ran into the Blue Room with Terrence
and Cathy, our teams in 2nd and 3rd position. Seeing a bunch of racers and
spectators waiting for us in the middle of the race was neat! Much better
than fumbling around in a botanical garden in the dark. We had a bit of a
hiccup in our clue solving on CP8 (searching for Mister Jacks instead of Mr.
Jacks), which was enough for the Fluffy Bunnies to pass us in the French Quarter.
Same crazy running through tourists on a crowded street, same “follow
the Bunnies” across the finish line (although we’re getting closer!),
but a new ending, this time their photos were good and they won! Congratulations!
Another report is posted here.
Do you think your marital status gives you an edge over the rest of the
field?
No, we think what makes the difference is having a great teammate, and we’ve
been teammates longer than we have been married. We’d write more, but
we’re arguing about what to put here.
Have you ordered a Royale w/ cheese since your move to France?
No, but it’s dang hard to get ketchup with your fries here.
What other sports or competitions do you to participate in? How do you think
these prepare you for Urban Challenge?
Orienteering - thinking on the run in the woods.
Adventure racing - working as a team and figuring out how to use each person’s
strength to the advantage of the group, learning to adapt to the unexpected.
Will you be coming across the pond to compete in any Urban Challenge events
this season?
We will be part of the invisible mass of people talking, thinking, surfing,
fretting, staring at the screen, gnashing our teeth, praying, hoping, yelling,
and cheering on the racers for a couple of events this year. And we’re
making plans to visit Miami for the first time. :-)
How did the two of you meet?
Marcy and her brother Kip were looking for a teammate for a Hi-Tec adventure
race, and John answered an Internet search query. A few days after we met,
we got soaking wet, covered in mud, and slathered in Crisco.
Beer or Wine?
SPIZ
Crosswords or Trivial Pursuit?
Cranium and Games magazine
Any advice for beginning Urban Challengers?
You aren’t out of the race until Kevin says so. Never give up!
What surprises you most about Urban Challenge?
Jeff and Jake haven’t won it all yet.
Related links:
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