Urban Challenge Is Race With a Twist

Sara Gebhardt — Washington Post Staff Writer

SOMETHING OF a cross between a scavenger hunt and a road race, Saturday's Urban Challenge has the distinct feel of a reality television show. Partners frantically work together to decode clues and then scour the city by foot or public transport in search of 12 unmarked "checkpoints." Armed with digital cameras, teams must return to headquarters with photographic proof that they were at the correct checkpoints in the correct order. If they find the "skip person" along the course, they can skip one checkpoint completely. The game features a sometimes heartbreaking ending, since top finishers may be disappointed once judges look through their photos. Those who misidentify checkpoints are disqualified regardless of their speed.

The 10 teams who make it back to headquarters the fastest qualify to compete for $50,000 at the national championship in Las Vegas in November. (The No. 1 team gets its trip to Las Vegas paid for.)

Washington is the 15th city to participate in the Urban Challenge 's inaugural year. The adventure game was thought up by Kevin McCarthy, a Phoenix businessman who created it for his daughter Kate's 12th birthday party last October. The children and adults were so energized by solving clues and searching for sites around Phoenix that McCarthy decided to showcase the treasures of 19 American cities.

"I like the concept of the Renaissance man, so I wanted to make a game that tested the mind, body and spirit of people," McCarthy said. "It really is about thinking on the run. It's hard to completely engage yourself -- you're running, you have to deal with a partner, strategize, unravel clues, figure out the fastest route," McCarthy said.

In cities that have already hosted Urban Challenge races, competitors have been a mix of old and young, men and women, avid runners, athletes and nonathletes. Teams that score the highest on a general trivia quiz begin first so that the start times of the 300 to 600 players are staggered.

Distance covered in each race varies from city to city, and McCarthy won't say how much terrain the D.C. course will cover, although it will have a stretch of seven to 10 "runable" miles most quickly covered on foot. Both the New York and Chicago races covered roughly 25 miles.

Many teams prepare for the Urban Challenge by familiarizing themselves with city maps and bus and Metro routes. Once the game starts, players can use friends, family, passersby, cell phones, the Internet or any other tools to help find checkpoints. Winning teams generally finish in two to three hours, and all teams have five hours to try to finish.

McCarthy has been so overwhelmed by positive reviews of the game that he plans to add more cities to next year's Urban Challenge tour.

"I knew it was really fun, really exciting and a real adventure, but I'm blown away by the excitement of people who race and their passion," McCarthy said.