Racers, in teams of two, are given a clue sheet pointing to several destinations around town. Run, walk, or take public transit to get to as many as possible then get back to the start in the race's time limit.
The 2008 race covered Cedar-Riverside, downtown and Uptown Minneapolis.
The organizers require that each team wear a matching outfit, and provide race shirts to eliminate any wardrobe stress. Costumes are encouraged but by no means necessary. In 2008, around 20 percent of the teams were in costume, of various degrees of ingenuity.
Local knowledge is helpful but not absolutely necessary. Solving clues is made much easier if you have knowledgeable friends to call, and an internet-enabled cellphone and/or GPS would be a great leg up in this race.
Being fit is also not required. I ran the entire race distance, about seven miles, in 2008 with zero training, and remember you have the option of using public transit.
It's a nationwide competition, with heats held in cities across the nation. The best finishers of each cities' race get the chance to compete in the final for a $10,000 prize.
It's fun, although the entry fee - around $60 per runner, so $120 for a team, seems expensive for what you get. There's no swag save the race shirts and a free banana at the finish - other similar races usually give competitors goodies from their sponsors. Unless, you think you are in with a great chance of that prize money. The field is limited to 500 teams and the top 25 go to the finals so if you think you are fast and smart, your odds of making it to the final are not bad.
Want to know more, or register for the race? Visit the Great Urban Race's website.
