What is The Great Urban Race?

The Great Urban Race is a wacky urban adventure. Teams of two solve twelve clues, have a wild city adventure and complete fun challenges while discovering the city in a fresh way.

 

What do I get?

- A fun adventure!

- T-shirt

- Clue sheet

- Race number

- National Championship Qualifier medals (Top 25 teams)

- Possible prizes:

1st Place - $300 and free Championship entry

2nd Place - $200 and free Championship entry

3rd Place - $100 and free Championship entry

4th-25th Place - National Championship qualifier medal

Best Costume

Top Family Team

- Post-race refreshments (fruit, water, etc.)

- Chance at $10,000 in the National Championship

- Possible goodies, depending on your city

 

What should I wear?

Dress for the elements.

Dress for a day of running and/or walking.

Dress fun.

Teammates must wear matching uniforms during the race (the provided GUR t-shirts qualify).  This may include themed costumes such as Batman and Robin - they do not have to be exactly matching.

Most teams wear running shoes and many teams wear costumes.

The best costume wins a prize at every race, as judged by other participants' applause at the awards.

 

How much does it cost?

Each city varies.  Check your city's registration page for details. 

 

Where do we meet?

Each city varies.  Check your city's registration page for details.

 

How do we qualify for the National Championship?

Finish among the top 25 teams at your local race.

 

I registered online.  Now what?

You should receive a confirmation e-mail immediately from the registration site.  About one month before the race, you'll receive an e-mail from the GUR staff with the final details.  You'll also receive two more e-mails the week of the race.  You will not receive anything in the mail.  Your packet will be available at packet pick-up the morning of the race, including your t-shirts and bib numbers.  Everyone will receive their clues at 12:00 Noon the day of the race.

 

I'm registered, but I/my teammate got injured/can't make it.  Can I get a refund?

We don't offer any refunds for any reason, but you have the option to transfer your registration to a different person or transfer your registration to a different race in 2010.   To switch your registration please e-mail your confirmation number, city, the name of the teammate(s) being replaced, and the new teammate's name, email address, and t-shirt size to info@redfrogevents.com.   Teams may not transfer registration to the National Championship race or to a race in 2011 or further.

 

What's the Family Division?

The Family Division is reserved for families with one racer under the age of 18.   Family teams are not required to be blood relatives.

The winning Family Division team will receive an award at each local race.

The Great Urban Race is difficult to complete and primarily designed for adults, so if there are young participants they may need assistance from an older team member. An eleven-year-old and his father did, however, finish 16th in the 2008 National Championship.

Teams in the Family Division may compete on two, three or four-person teams.

Should a team in the Family Division finish among the top 25 at a local race, they will qualify for the National Championship, but only two teammates may compete in the National Championship.

 

Can I participate with a group? Can I form alliances?

Absolutely.  You must sign up as two-person teams, but feel free to buddy up with other teams if you’re looking to have fun with a group of friends.

 

What should I bring?

Required:

A fun attitude and a sense of humor!

Digital camera.

Identification.

Matching uniforms (provided race t-shirts qualify).

Ten dollars or more in cash.

Optional:

Cell phone.

Water / snacks.

Backpack.

GPS.

Maps.

Guidebooks.

Laptop.

Pen and paper.

 

Digital Camera?

This is a "BYODC" event - Bring Your Own Digital Camera.  Teams must use it to take a picture to complete many of the clues.

 

What if we don’t have a digital camera?

Ask family and friends to borrow theirs – odds are, you know somebody who has one.  Otherwise, a camera phone would be acceptable.  Just as long as the GUR staff can clearly see the teammates at the checkpoints in the pictures, a camera phone would be acceptable.

 

I’m out of shape. Can I do this?

Teams should be able to complete the course.  That said, if your team is trying to win you can expect to finish with wobbly knees and sweaty pits!

 

Do I have to know my city like a tour guide, or what?

No.  Think on your feet and you’ll have a shot to win no matter.   Several teams qualified for the 2009 National Championship in cities in which they didn’t live.

 

What’s the course? / Where do we go?

There’s no set course.  Find your own way.  The clues may be completed in any order, so do what you think will work best!

 

Public transit?

You betcha!   Expect it to be to your advantage to use public transportation at certain times during the race.   This adds a fun strategic element to the race.

 

Can I take a taxi or catch a ride?

No. You may only travel on foot or use public transportation.

 

Will I have to eat things?

Possibly, but you won’t have to eat large quantities of food or gross food.  Think slices of pizza, corn on the cob, or the like.  If there is a challenge involving food, you always have the option to skip it.

 

How long is the race?

The course is designed so the winners should finish in 1.5 - 3 hours, the majority in 3 - 4 hours, and the race course is shut down after 5 hours.  Every city is unique.

The distance of the race depends on the route you take. Think six miles on your feet, maybe less, maybe more – it’s up to you and depends on the route you choose.

 

How do we get our t-shirts and bib numbers?

T-shirts and bib numbers are distributed from 11am-11:55am on the day of the race.

 

What if I can’t find a checkpoint?

Don’t give up!  Keep looking, ask for help, or tell your phone-a-friend to get his/her act together.

 

Can my cousin / co-worker / grandma be my teammate?

Be alive, human, and 14 or older (or accompanied by an adult) and you qualify.   Any participant under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign a waiver.

 

Can I participate in more than one city?

Definitely!   Last year, teams competed in as many as five cities.

 

How many teams compete in each race?

We expect the size of the races to vary from 150 teams to 650 teams, depending on the city, in 2010.

 

Do I have to sign a waiver to compete in the race?

Yes.  You will electronically sign one during online registration, and then sign another one by hand at packet pick-up the morning of the race.

 

My city isn’t on your schedule. Can you bring The Great Urban Race to my city?

The Great Urban Race can only go to a limited number of cities each year.   We are looking to expand in the upcoming years and any suggestions of cities to add are welcome!

 

What if it rains?

Rain or shine, the race will go on.

 

Will I be on TV?

Depending on the city, there might be some local coverage of the event.

 

My business would love to host a clue.  How do we make it happen?

We'd love to work with you!  E-mail us at info@redfrogevents.com. 

 

My company would love to sponsor the event. What do we do?

E-mail our Sponsorship Coordinator, Ryan, at ryan@redfrogevents.com. 

 

Who thought of this?

The Great Urban Race is the brainchild of Joe Reynolds.   Contact Joe at joe@redfrogevents.com or read more about him in the About Us section.

 

Where is The Great Urban Race based?

Our office is located at 2551 N. Clark Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

 

I can’t participate, but I’d like to volunteer. What can I do?

Thank you!  Email us at volunteer@redfrogevents.com

 

I have another question. How do I find the answer?

Email us at info@redfrogevents.com