A New Urban Challenge Adventure Racing Series Debuts in San Francisco

By T.J. Murphy

If you were near Howard and 4th streets in downtown San Francisco on the morning of Saturday, June 1, you probably witnessed dozens of oddly-equipped athletes tearing around corners and sprinting up sidewalks. Wearing CamelBaks and running shoes with a cell phone in one hand and a bus map in the other, entrants in the local debut of the Urban Challenge were just beginning their competitive adventure. Restricted to traveling on foot or by public transit, each two-member team had to find 12 checkpoints using a set of clues and their wits, eventually returning to race headquarters at the Sony Metreon.

Created by Kevin McCarthy, Urban Challenges are being held in 20 cities across the country this summer. The top 10 teams from each event are invited to the national championship November 2-3 in Las Vegas, with a $50,000 prize at stake.

The San Francisco event started with registration and instructions at Jillian's bar and restaurant. A well-produced video presentation detailed the rules and then pre-tested the teams with a trivia quiz, the scores used as a basis for the starting order. Each pair was issued a digital camera to use for the day to record proof of their travels. Contestants were allowed to use cell phones to call upon friends logged onto the Internet for fast reference work.

Finishing first in a time of 3:30:44 were brothers Charlie and Justin Graham (team Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber), whose hobbies — marathoning and treasure hunting — had found the perfect event in which to shine.

The second-place team, Hugh Magen and Sonia Taylor, enjoyed success they surely didn't expect.

"This is the third time we've ever met," says Magen, explaining that he and Taylor were recently on blind date terms. The day had begun inauspiciously, as they had trouble digging up their maps for the event. "My plan was to study for the race, but I never did," Magen confessed.

The course took them along a route that ranged from downtown and Columbus Avenue all the way to Ocean Beach, with a full complement of San Francisco-isms. Within the trek, for example, was a swervy run up Lombard.

"Lombard," remarked one racer, with mock disgust. "Uncool — highly uncool. But to be expected."

One of the fun aspects of the event is that photographic proofs had to include both contestants in the image. This meant that, in addition to finding the checkpoint corresponding to the clue ("This structure actually pumped water from 1902 until 1929"), teams had to quickly persuade the nearest stranger to take their snapshot.

Everyone interviewed after the event clearly enjoyed the day — which, on average, required about five miles of running along with the brainwork.