Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25241
FRONT:: Las Vegas isn't an obvious place for an adventure race. Roulette wheels, poker tables and all-night steak houses hardly call for hiking boots. But by putting the urban into adventure racIng, the tables have turned. Asphalt sizzles beneath your feet as you race through a maze of pedestrians and tourists. You glance at your map and make a quick decision about how to navigate the crowded streets that sprawl for miles around you. The city is a sweaty blur of concrete. steel and lights. You·re not running from the mafia. or playing a video game; you·re competing in a new race series called the Urban Challenge-a variation of a half marathon. a city-size scavenger hunt and a stepping-stone to adventure racing. The race. making its debut this year. swept through 20 major US cities this summer and will cUlminate on November 2 in Las Vegas for the National Championships. where 200 teams will compete for $50.000. The Urban Challenge offers a novel experience. Competitors are spit out into the urban environment to find 12 unmarked checkpoints by solving cryptic clues. Moving in teams of two. racers hastily plot an approximately 20-mile course through the city in search of landmarks. public art and local treasures. such as popular tattoo parlors and cafes (or. in the case of Las Vegas. casinos and mega hotels). Since racers can travel only by foot or on public transportation. understanding the city"s energy. pace and design is crucial to helping them find the quickest way from point A to point B. ·The whole city is part of the race:· says Urban Challenge creator Kevin McCarthy. ··Everyone is an obstacle or a potential assistant:· While televised international adventure races may tell us that the only way to experience ··real"· adventure is to travel halfway around the world to run. cycle and paddle for days on end in remote wilderness. the city-with its perpetual motion. frenetic energy and jungle-gym-like infrastructure-is the per- fect setting for adventure races and their kin. The premise behind the Urban Challenge and other nontraditional urban races is to make adventure more accessi- ble. ··Races done in an urban environment allow more individu- als to compete:· says John O·Connor. one of the founders of the Wild Onion urban adventure racing series. the country"s first adventure race set in an urban environment. O·Connor·s race has grown in popularity by almost 60 percent since its inception just three years ago. when 51 teams competed in the 24-hour adven- ture race held in Chicago. ·The independently operated Urban Challenge is dif- ferent from traditional road and adventure races because it is more mentally challenging and accessible:· says McCarthy. ·The people who sign up are sick of running road races and don·t have enough time for adventure racing:· he says. ·The Urban Challenge is a bridge from road to adventure races:· While running. challengers are constantly on cell phones talking to support crews of one to several people. who instead of organizing gear and preparing food. are connected to T1 lines and ready to look up bits of trivia needed to solve the next city-specific clue. While shaving seconds off your mile may help prepare you for a road race. and being able to kayak for hours on no sleep may help you conquer the Raid Gauloises. befriending a local tour guide may be your best strategy for tackling the Urban Challenge. ·You need a lot of luck to win this race:· says Jake Courtney. an Olympic runner who finished the Los Angeles race with teammate Jeff Atkinson in two hours and 43 minutes. ··It is a tortoise and hare race:· says Courtney. a 39-year-old lawyer. ··A tortoise with a strategically timed strike on public transportation can pass the hare:·