Thanks to the 442 participants who raced in our first annual Great Urban Race NYC!  We set a new record in New York with people coming from 2 countries and 16 different states!  Thanks to everyone who traveled so far for this event!

 

From Times Square to Chelsea Piers to Central Park, teams navigated the city while eating delicious cupcakes, involving strangers, golfing, and getting their initials painted by a street vendor on an 80 degree, sunny day.

 

Kristin Stoltenberg and Bruce Doscher of Team Batwing and Kelly touched the finish mat first in a time of 2:17! 

 

 

 

 

Team Nikki and the Greek came in second in 2:28 and Genderson Kaboom finished third in 2:31, beating out NYC Is Gorges by one second!

 

 

 

Best Overall Photos went to Galaxy and The Who's.

 

 

 

 

The Best Costume winner was Abracadabra.

 

 

 

E$ballers, the top family team, crossed the finish line in first place overall, but had a 30 minute penalty for missing a clue, which dropped them to a still impressive 9th place overall!

 

 

 

 

Congrats to Mountain View Mamas from San Francisco for their 11th place finish and their first National Championship qualification after four races!

 

 

We look forward to returning to New York in 2009 for another exciting race!

 

New York City participants say...

 

"This was one of the best days of my life just because I'm a huge fan of the Amazing Race and make races like this in my hometown, but it was my first time actually running one. I loved the presentation and the morale of the group and will definitely be racing in San Diego and hopefully volunteering at another race in 2009!!!"

 

"The GUR team was the best, they made everyone feel so welcome. And even when other teams were finishing hours after the top teams, they made them (and us) feel like they won!! Thank you!!!"

 

"We had a fantastic time. It was really well organized and all the particpants were very friendly to one another too!"

 

"This was such an amazing experience and it made me look at New York City in an entirely different way."

 

"It was awesome!!! We pushed ourselves to almost our limit!! We had a blast!! We are already talking about next year!!! Can't wait!!!"

 

"I will definitely be back next time!"

 

"My sister and i had an amazing experience participating in this race together."

 

"Great time - already strategizing for next year!"

 

"I laughed the whole way and it was so much fun to meet the other teams and help each other out."

 

"This event was so much fun! Really well organized, everyone was so friendly and made the experience really enjoyable."

 

"Great event. Well layed out course."

 

"A great way to spend a saturday in the city!"

 

"It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, engaging with random NY'ers was the best part."

 

"The race was a great time! I look forward to next year!"

 

"Had a blast!"

 

"The New York race was well mapped,and the clues were challenging, but not impossible."

 

"It was an experience like nothing I've done before and I'm looking forward to the next one!"

 

"Well organized!"

 

"I have already told my friends about this.  It was so much fun!"

 

"Can't wait to do it next year! Its a great way to experience a city in a few hours."

 

"It was a great time even though my team did not win. It was a fun way to get to know the city better and learn about new attractions in the city that I have never heard of before."

 

"Lots of fun. Will do it again next year."

 

"I loved it and will definitely be doing it again next year!"

 

"Although, I wasn't sure what to expect, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the day....fun and exhausting."

 

"An awesome race, tons of fun, and a varied and well designed route. Overall a great program with wonderful staff, highly recommended!"

 

"Great job! a really really fun/great experience, do it again!"

 

"The staff was organized and great."

 

"I was in Hoboken, New Jersey on business and read about your race in a mag., entered my wife, son and myself in the family division. We were trying to decide how to see New York and this seemed like a great way to do it. We were from Texas so it was a great learning experience, subways and all. The New York and GUR people were great!"

 

"It was awesome and very well organized. Thanks!"

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Champions Interview (Team Batwing and Kelly):

 

What was your overall race strategy?

 

Have fun.  Run.  Try our hardest and see what happens.

 

Did you have any arguments?

 

We had a few "heated exchanges" (ie "Where's the camera?" "In the backpack."  "No it's not!"  "Keep looking!" "Where's the camera?"  "Keep f****n looking!"

 

How do you know each other?

 

We're engaged.  Getting married in September.

 

Any secrets for your success?

 

Know the subways, don't be afraid to run.  

 

 

 

Results:

 

* denotes team qualifies to compete in Nationals

** denotes team qualifies to compete in Nationals and will receive free entry

^ denotes team competed in Family Division

# denotes team received a penalty

 

**1st - Batwing and Kelly (2:17) - Kristin Stoltenberg and Bruce Doscher

**2nd - Nikki and the Greek (2:28) - Evan Parganos and Nicole Parganos

**3rd - Genderson Kaboom (2:31) - Sergio Llorian and Dave Hylton

*4th - NYC Is Gorges (2:31) - Anne Grappone and Christine Szudzik

*5th - Alaskan Grown (2:32) - Brett Rogers and Kevin Rogers

*6th - Great Urban Eaters (2:36) - Adam Shumaker and Gin Cheng

*7th - The Double D's (2:36) - Kevin Dee and Deanna Culbreath

*8th - Mickey Slorbachev (2:36) - Vivien Savath and Forrest Hanson

*^#9th - e$Ballers (2:39) - Sid Blauner and Ethan Blauner

*10th - The Shadows (2:41) - Jeffery Werner and Dennis Giza

*11th - Mountain View Mamas (2:44) - Karen Moreland and Alexa Morris

*12th - 4th and 26 (2:44) - Megan McIntyre and Kristen Stokes

*#13th - 2 Tuff Teachers (2:45) - Karen Rotach and Nina Blauner

*14th - Orange Crush (2:48) - Ashley Novack and Scott Bloom

*15th - Nash Vegas (2:49) - Douglas Parker and Alicia Parker

*16th - Glory Days (2:50) - Sabrina Brannon and Sarah Campbell

*17th - Hey Days (2:50) - Melissa Roman and Liz Uhlhorn

*18th - KittySprings (2:51) - Tricia McKitty and Christanna Springs

*19th - The Encyclopedia Brown (2:52) - Michael Hruska and Joe Bukhari

*20th - Blue Moon Detective Agency (2:56) - Andrew Bryceland and Kelly McLaughlin

*21st - Natty Light (2:57) - Maureen Zivic and David Carreiras

*22nd - Team L & O (2:57) - Kristina Knapp and Katie Fitzgerald

*23rd - Galloping Gals (2:57) - Kathy Olsen and Yen Chiang

*24th - Sorelle (2:59) - Suzanne Fenech and Seta Kiremidjian

*25th - PIC Sucka (3:01) - Grace Pai and Dee Syberite

26th - Second Line (3:01) - Yvonne Fletcher and Mike Bolte

#27th - West Side Raiders (3:03) - David Sarni and Jazmine Perez

28th - LBDs (3:03) - Lauren Sheridan and Loran Cheng

29th - The Best Team (3:07) - Alissa Epstein and Naomi Gabay

30th - Summer Runners (3:07) - Monica Quinn and Michele Adams

31st - Team Legend-wait-for-it-dairy (3:09) - Allen Chang and Brian Abe

32nd - Immortal Riot (3:10) - Iulian Ionescu and Rachel Aronov

33rd - Marathon Tour Guides (3:10) - Jennifer Rossa and Lisa Reynolds

34th - J-Meo (3:12) - Anshul Sood and Melissa Schwartz

35th - Vicious & Delicious (3:12) - Mona Safabakhsh and Payam Nili

36th - Len's Lemmings (3:12) - Carla Landelius and Michael D'Imperio

37th - Bar Runners (3:13) - Sara Wingert and Jessie Slenker

38th - Off in the Shower (3:14) - Brian Matthews and Adrian Czebiniak

39th - Jochelle (3:14) - Joe Intagliata and Michelle Maiorana

40th - Frophie (3:14) - Frank Swyer and Sophie-Anne Hy

41st - BooLove (3:14) - Kimberly Kearney and Robert Heikaus

42nd - Ruggieri (3:14) - Erik Ruggieri and Diane Ruggieri

43rd - Olin Hall Basement Dwellers (3:14) - Kristen Sweeney and Florence Grossman

44th - Lucky Lispers (3:19) - Leigh Anderson and Melissa Kirsch

45th - Roe & Nora (3:19) - Rosanna Menza and Nora Onorato

46th - Ruprecht & Not Mother (3:20) - Mike Ory and Brenda Hurley

47th - Team Gilhooley's (3:23) - Nick Rizzo and Andy Loretz

48th - Donald Duck's Feet (3:23) - David Velazquez and Kristin Broek

49th - Jasonette (3:24) - Jeanette Le and Jason Tran

50th - West Side Wonder Bread (3:24) - Kevin Penn and Nicole Marks

51st - Mother Jugs and Speed (3:24) - Judy Takach and Beth Principe

52nd - Crash and Burn (3:25) - Matt Plastina and Joanne Kozel

53rd - Blood Sweat and Beers! (3:26) - Nicky Mahmud and Urooj Mahmud

54th - Team ChickenJoy (3:26) - Amy Liu and Henry Tong

55th - 2 Karens 4 the Price of 1 (3:26) - Karen Philip and Karen MCloskey

^56th - The Jersey Fatcats (3:27) - Zafar Toor, Fawad Khan, Usman Chaudhary, and Masood Suleman

#57th - Going2Win (3:28) - Nora Pickens and Dennis Wentzler

58th - Criscoe (3:28) - Cristina Lambert and Tiffany Coe

59th - DASH (3:29) - David Holcenberg and Sue Anshutz

60th - Birsch Sisters (3:30) - Kathryn Birsch and Jocelyn Birsch

61st - Bear-y Delicious (3:31) - Hilary Cohen and Jessica Lenobel

62nd - DevineOnes (3:32) - Susannah Devine and Danielle Devine

63rd - Cheese Heads (3:33) - Maureen Ricotta and Paul Ricotta

64th - Lady and the Vamp (3:33) - Jennifer Lady and Ivan Mrazovic

65th - Sugar Rush (3:33) - Carol Buonanno and Thomas Buonanno

66th - Birdsong (3:33) - Allison Birdsong and Ridley Sperling

67th - Dinky Fish (3:34) - Constance Dinkel and Lauren Fischetti

68th - The Incompatibles (3:34) - Christopher Logie and Rachel Dulitz

#69th - Nu Yoricans (3:35) - Cynthia Centeno and Richard Rivera

70th - D'oh Nuts (3:35) - Jill Karliner and Sam Karliner

71st - Team -O (3:37) - Shiho Kawashima and Akiko Ikegami

#72nd - Guinea Pigs (3:38) - Dmitry Mazilo and Maria Kon

73rd - The Spoilers (3:38) - Chris Storms and Jen Austin

74th - Team Chutzpah (3:38) - Regina Rokhvarg and Hannah Taksa

75th - ACC / Big 10 Challenge (3:39) - Laurie Reese and Melani Wexler

76th - Team Dorsey (3:40) - Bethany Ridenhour and Alysen Kuck

77th - The Flying Dutchmen (3:42) - Melanie Henery and Jason Henery

78th - Jacoby and Pedroia (3:42) - Susan Riskin and Brooke Cobb

79th - R&D (3:47) - Rayne Gaisford and Deb Carbonaro

80th - Walsh Rules (3:48) - Shanna Walsh and Mike Walsh

81st - Jedi Force (3:50) - Diana Falcon and Patrick Caracciolo

82nd - HOLOHOLO (3:50) - Frances Falcon and David Rayner

83rd - The Herbs (3:51) - Ryan Thomas and Michael Forino

84th - Diva Duo (3:54) - Janine Monize and Ellen Lurz

85th - Abracadabra (3:55) - Steven Breslawski and Greg Hay

86th - 508B (3:56) - Dev Dhamija and Jose Campon

87th - JAkusaArgliAfur (3:56) - Jane Halpern and Mason Scherzer

88th - Redeker (3:56) - Robin Redeker and Warren Redeker

89th - Procrastinators (3:57) - Allison Poon and Patrick Lee

90th - Cinco (3:57) - Dan Stout and Tracy Buchanan

91st - Borrachos (3:57) - Brady Stout and Lisa Stout

92nd - Team Bam Bam (3:57) - Amy Seise and Kevin Seise

93rd - Spicy Tuna (3:57) - Amanda Whichard and Brian Schatz

94th - BMSquared (3:58) - colleen Seise and Kevin Seise

95th - WINKIM (3:58) - Bob Winchester and Kim Hyde

96th - FHS (Fast Hot Swimmers) (3:59) - Kate Tiedemann and Art Tiedemann

97th - Rodriguez (3:59) - Jacinda Carlson and Chris Rodriguez

98th - Carrillo's (4:01) - Alexandra Echeverry and William Carrillo

99th - Campo (4:01) - Julio Campo and Natalia Agudelo

100th - El Kawa (4:01) - George Blain and Jessica Escobar

101st - MJ (4:03) - Monica Kwong and Jacqueline Williams

102nd - Heart of Gold (4:03) - Helen Raczkowski and Robin Daas

^103rd - Otterheim (4:05) - Bruce, Patty, and Nicholas Heim

104th - The Prickly Pair (4:05) -Jennifer Richardson and Alison Smith

105th - Right Said Ed (4:05) - David Ferry and Jamie Nolan

106th - Bikini Bottoms (4:05) - Jackie Daly and Faith Reese

107th - I'm with Amy (4:05) - Amy Shum and Amy Kwan

108th - Round 2 (4:06) - Christine Hurley and Patrick Mondile

109th - The Shishkabobs (4:07) - Amy Luo and Ayako Jessica Kono

110th - Cuddles Fabulous Frou Frou-Pants (4:08) - Ada Chan and William Ng

111th - Run Your Buns Off (4:08) - Stephanie Ferraro and Kevin Brown

112th - SuperAnne and WonderKate (4:08) - Anne Taylor and Kate Taylor

113th - Beach Bums (4:08) - Karen Hsueh and Amanda Dickens

114th - Tie-dyed Butterflies (4:09) - Christine Hammerstone and Tara Bonham

115th - Cheesy Toons (4:10) - Christopher Johnson and Matthe Cheng

116th - ELY (4:10) - Yelitza Valle and Elaine Robles

117th - The RedWood Girls (4:10) - Lee Malecki and Harriet Zucker

118th - The Stabes (4:11) - Lloyd and Stacy Stableford

119th - Team Rattlesnake (4:12) - Ethan Schmidt and Kana Schmidt

120th - Iron Chicklet (4:17) - Antonella Lozito and Carl Rocker

121st - Galaxy (4:19) - Benjamin Kayne and Mario Lucero

122nd - The Who's (4:19) - Jen Fudens and Kathleen Devito

123rd - Team Bummer (4:20) - Virginia Gill and Brian Bummer

124th - The 25's (4:20) - John and Courtney Venticinque

125th - Mullet Power (4:20) - Rob Klain and Dava Cazzolli

126th - The Burnt Peanuts (4:20) - Will Sutkay and Jennifer Kutarinos

127th - Team Superbadass (4:20) - Liz Maida and Denise Giacin

128th - Vanilla Ice (4:22) - Jennifer Green and Pharon Holtrey

#129th - The GUR8est Team (4:22) - Jennifer Barnes and Debra Stackhouse

#130th - StranGURS (4:22) - Steven Krizina and Dan McCarthy

#131st - Lenny & Joe (4:27) - Adam and Rita Gregory

#132nd - Cornelia Street Lickers (4:27) - Jill Fay nad Michale Pace

133rd - The 3 ms (4:29) - Dana and Tony Mauriello

134th - Double Trouble (4:30) - Colleen Sheehan and Elizabeth McGee

135th - Itches and Eavers (4:30) - Kathleen O'Malley and Jennifer Vermilyea

136th - Peanut Butter Jelly Time (4:32) - Pete and Rebekah Wortmann

137th - Wandering Winos (4:32) - Barbra Wortmann and Graziella Navarro

138th - Stars and Stripes (4:32) - Wendy Morrissette and Ellen Werkley

139th - S&M (4:32) - Susan Van Praag and Michelle Alexander

140th - Sea Eagles (4:32) - Rikke V. Landi and Giacomo Landi

#141st - Dawsome (4:33) - Spencer and Amanda Dawson

142nd - Shenanigans (4:34) - Amy Michell and Claire Cappio

143rd - Team Ramrod (4:34) - Andrea Paquette and David Paquette

144th - M&R Hottie Patrol (4:36) - Russell McCaffery and Monica Anderson

145th - Cryan (4:38) - Cathleen Wright and Ryan O'Tolle

#146th - Mary Sunshine (4:40) - Christine Hyjek and Shelia McVeigh

147th - The Unsubs (4:40) - Fred and Joan Sweeney

#148th - Harrington / Fitzell (4:41) - Monica Harrington and Sean Fitzell

149th - GSE (4:42) - Frank and Michael Glynn

^150th - Los Rosado's (4:43) - Anthony, Omayra, Ashely, and Anthony Jr. Rosado

151st - Team Slobwad (4:45) - Michele Nicholson and Meredith Dwyer

152nd - Johnston (4:48) - Sean and Ericka Johnston

153rd - Sullivan (4:49) - Eric and Ann Sullivan

#154th - The Ado-bros (4:50) - Enrique Iturralde and Timothy O'Connor

#155th - Team Chesters (4:50) - Donna DeFeo and Geoffrey Cook

156th - VOUTHMANN (4:50) - Darcy Amann and Georgia Vouthounis

157th - Haitixirea (4:51) - Djyna Duvet and Jeane Kim

158th - OGC (4:51) - Douglas Yates and Donna Kochoa

159th - Lost in New York (4:53) - Jasmine Patel and Dipali Nanavati

^160th - Manz-inators (4:53) - Richard, Anne Marie, Ricky, and Samantha Manz

161st - Birgy (4:54) - Virginia Chaves and Aaron Milazzo

162nd - Spider Pig (4:54) - Jessica Barbot and Viviana Chaves

163rd - The Llamas (4:55) - Elyse Revere and Patricia Spencer

^164th - B Cubed (4:56) - Bruce, Brenda, and Bronson Sauser

#165th - Plantains & Lox (5:00) - Karyn Sable and Juana Cruz

#166th - Speedracers (5:00) - Nan Wilson and Shanna Medenilla

#167th - Funky Mendez (5:00) - Emily Engelman and Bryan Mendez

#168th - Charlie Murphy's Angels (5:00) - Holly Wickstrom and Toni Gannon

#169th - Kretz (5:00) - Bettina and Donald Kretz

#170th - Gargiulo (5:00) - Lynne and Peter Gargiulo

#171st - Team SOX (5:00) - Kyle Bevilacqua and Katerina Popova

#172nd - Bevilacqua (5:00) - Pamela and Anthony Bevilacqua

#173rd - Bond (5:00) - Patrick Paciorkowski and Maria Kovalousky

#174th - Learning To Play Doctor (5:00) - MJ Espiritu and Katie Nagel

#175th - Team Dill (5:00) - Randi and Steve Dill

#176th - Favs (5:00) - Jessica Jernigan and Michael Kelly

#177th - Bunty and Bubbly (5:00) - Abhal and Sanjeev Shukla

#178th - Team BobCar (5:00) - Bobby and Carrie Vance

179th - Funky Soul Floppers (5:00) - Simone Ross and Andrea Eisen

180th - Code Pink (5:00) - Rocco and Karen Florio

181st - Kayak Kings (5:00) - Scott Charette and Andy Meissner

182nd - The Amazing Bunnies (5:00) - Kim Barnes and Jeanne Moss

183rd - Which way do we go? (5:00) - Ellen Grenci and Cathy Mueller

184th - Perfect Match (5:00) - Sylvia Nelson-Paul and Shane Paul

185th - Chirping Crickets (5:00) - Marie Lanchanski and Jeniffer MacAfee

186th - Team Liugelson (5:00) - Christina Liu and Jonathan Fogelson

187th - Jersey Girls (5:00) - Karen Sullivan and Erin Ronchetta

188th - Chubacca (5:00) - Larina and Brian Chu

189th - Fireball (5:00) - Joseph Sutch and Michelle Bruno

190th - My Ex is Better Than Your Ex (5:00) - Mathew and Debie VanAlstyne

191st - Crazy Cooky (5:00) - Susan Graham and Mary Regan

^192nd - 3 Eggs and a Ham (5:00) - Cindy and Bill Noren and Peyton and Sydney Lynn

193rd - Jt's Girls (5:00) - Erin Ryan and Tracy Grunsfeld

194th - Team Martin (5:00) - Linda and Brian Martin

195th - Kanona (5:00) - Sherba Richards adn Shannon Picou

196th - Tiny Marbles (5:00) - Rody Senner and Jamie Cannon

197th - The Warriors (5:00) - Nicole Iravani and Peter Viglione

198th - 2 Chicks from New Jersey (5:00) - Lauren Bodmer and Carissa Gagne

199th - The Warriors (5:00) - Erica Scharf and Michael Lewis

200th - Home Run (5:00) - Lynda Tran and Kevin Healy

201st - Jersey (5:00) - Jessica Petrizzo and Stacey Schettini

202nd - Latin Leprechauns (5:00) - Richard adn Laurie Rosa

203rd - Bizzarros (5:00) - Sarah and Lawrence Bizzarro

204th - SattMatt Racing (5:00) - John Sattler and Matthew Dory

205th - Grown-n-Sexy (5:00) - Jo-AnnEyre McNeil and Madeline Tineo

206th - Jager Bombers (5:00) - Jessica Wang and Adam Singer

207th - 301 (5:00) - Kimberly Foerster adn Dave Fowler

208th - Setec Astronomy (5:00) - Brette McSweeney and Alice Boone

209th - Rules are for Suckers (5:00) - Mary Bresnan and Tommy Martin

210th - Help Us We're Blonde (5:00) - Colleen Nolan and Jenn Ryan

211th - Breakin' the Habit (5:00) - Mary Beth Kinman and Megan Pierson

212th - Team McAllister (5:00) - Lynda Daly and Lance McAllister