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Combine heat and humidity with the beauty of Raleigh and you've
got Urban Challenge in the South!
Local Press: From the Raleigh News & Observer, Sunday, August
25, 2002:
Clues
Lead to Landmarks; Urban Challenge Contestants Seek Point in Raleigh
About 70 runners laced up their shoes and pulled out their cell
phones for an unusual traipse through downtown Raleigh early Saturday:
a combination footrace and scavenger hunt that demanded both quick
feet and sharp wits. more»
Winners:
Almost every day, racers ask Urban Challenge how important it is
to know the city. We always say that it doesn't hurt, but with a
good map and good support, you can be competitive without knowing
the city.
The Butternut Boys, Erik Carpenter and Jon Brenner, of New
York and DC, proved our theory in spades with their out-of-town
win in Raleigh. Neither of them had ever been to Raleigh before,
but that didn't keep them from walking away with a trip to Vegas
with a time of 3:08:22. Local residents Joe Pelasio and Ron Swiller
weren't too far behind with a time of 3:44:50. The winners' key
to success was great support from the "war room" back in DC. This
winning team, by the way, raced in New York, but didn't even finish.
Complete list
of winners »
Checkpoints:
UC Raleigh racers traveled from downtown to historic Oakwood and
out to Five Points and the campus of NC State. UC Raleigh was the
hottest and stickiest race yet. With noontime temperatures cresting
100 degrees and humidity to match, this race was an ordeal. No team
better personified the grit and enthusiasm of our racing family
than Brad Halferty and his partner, Ned Freer. Here is Brad's story:
"I started having cramps at TS Scala's (Checkpoint
11) so bad, in fact, that I couldn't walk. By the time we made
it back to the Capitol (for the last checkpoint), BOTH calves
were totally locked up.... I depleted my partner's Gatorade, which
provided some relief, but we couldn't find a convenience store
anywhere!
We were within ten blocks of the finish line when
both calves locked up again. I was flat on my back, trying to
extend my legs, while my teammate Ned was rummaging through his
backpack for some trail mix when one of Raleigh's finest pulled
up. He had apparently turned his car around after seeing me on
the ground and Ned rummaging through the backpack - The cop said
he thought I was being robbed!
That misunderstanding behind us, Ned piggybacked
me about half a mile. We were going to take a picture of this
classic scene to add to the Urban Challenge lore, but didn't want
to risk disqualification. I did have the satisfaction of crossing
the finish line under my own power, however.
Urban Challenge remembers Brad because he hit the floor pretty
quickly after crossing the finish line. We salute Brad and Ned's
determination and effort. It certainly paid off. Brad and Ned finished
in the top ten, just fifty minutes behind the winners. Check
out the checkpoints »
Trivia
Challenge:
What was the Skipper's character name on "Gilligan's Island?" Test
yourself with the Raleigh Trivia Challenge »
More photos: Sweatin' to the
oldies.
Thanks:
Our thanks to Jillian's and our Skip Chick, Sonya Mikuls. See y'all
in 2003.
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