Urban Dare Nashville - Top 5 Finishers

The first ever Urban Dare Nashville was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who played a part in making it a success.

Congratulations to Heather Lopez & Robert Kurtts for winning in an impressive time of 1:54:21. Second place went to Brian Covington & Amy Moore of Thirteam, and third place honors to Mark Kappelman & Kelly Fork of Team Airborne.

I got various pictures for the Willie Nelson mural. Most of them were from the mural inside the Stage, which features 5 or 6 artists. Some were from the guitar in front of legends, which really isn't a mural. I was looking for the mural off of 3rd Street by the Hampton Hotel, which is dedicated to just Willie. That's why I always say that sometimes there is more than one correct answer.

We plan on making this an annual event in Nashville and look forward to growing this race.

Here are the results of Urban Dare Nashville:

1:54:21 - Heather Lopez & Robert Kurtts
1:57:59 - Brian Covington & Amy Moore - Thirteam
1:59:21 - Mark Kappelman & Kelly Fork - Team Airborne
2:03:24 - Emily Volman & Emily Volman Erin Parker - American Midols
2:07:16 - Melanie Northern & Brandi Holland - Blue Hosses

Urban Dare Tampa

Thank you to everyone who participated in Urban Dare Tampa.

Congratulations to Jason & Melissa Cole who won with a time of 2:30:04. Christina Meloche & Audrey Hirst came in second, and third place honors went to Connie Boudreaux and David Park of Team #1.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

2:30:04 - Jason Cole & Melissa Cole
2:34:46 - christina meloche & Audrey Hirst
2:43:24 - Connie Boudreaux & David Park - Team #1
2:44:44 - Michael Mannella & Josh Cyr - Taco vs. Grilled Cheese
2:46:51 - Janice Greene & Felicia Peco - Team Lakeland

Urban Dare Pittsburgh

Thank you to everyone who came out on a wet Saturday to make the first ever Urban Dare Pittsburgh a success.

Congratulations to Tom & Becky Musial of Team 818 for winning in an impressive time of 1:44:00. Second place went to Brad Lechwar & Justin Gottschalk, and Katie and Amy Jones took third place honors.

Finding the plaque for the founding convention of the AFL proved to be the toughest task of the day. Next hardest was Snoopy lying down on his dog house. Some racers got a picture of a miniature Snoopy at the Children's Museum. Most of you found the full size Snoopy on Boulevard of the Allies & Stanwix St. Sometimes there is more than one correct answer.

We plan on making this an annual event in Pittsburgh and look forward to growing this race.

Here are the top 5 finishers of Urban Dare Pittsburgh:

1:44:00 - Tom Musial & Becky Musial - Team 818
2:07:43 - Brad Lechwar & Justin Gottschalk - WilyKit and WilyKat
2:15:00 - Katie Jones & Amy Jones - The Jones Girls
2:24:23 - Donna Gottschalk & Alicia Kaiser
2:28:16 - Adam Myers & Julie Stanos - Blacks for McCain

Urban Dare NY

The biggest smile on this picture belongs to new Urban Dare NY Champion Les Santos standing in the middle with his partner Gregg Plonisch. Les finished second last year, and with Gregg on his team this year they destroyed the course. I'm a pretty good judge of what time the winners will finish a race, and they came in about 18 minutes ahead of what I expected. It was a very impressive performance.

Paul Reilly & Heidi Henneman finished 19 minutes later, and another nineteen minutes later third, fourth, and fifth place were decided by a matter of seconds. Ken Derry & Paul Oldakowski 2:51:02 beat Family Van 2:51:06, which beat TJ Maxx 2:51:11.

Thanks to everyone who participated in what was a very fun race.

Here are the top 5 finishers of Urban Dare NY:

2:02:05 - Lester Santos & Gregg Plonisch - Smails/Beeper
2:31:57 - Paul Reilly & Heidi Henneman
2:51:02 - ken derry & Paul Oldakowski
2:51:06 - Ryan Wessum & Peter Scordo - Family Van
2:51:11 - Jennifer Jassawalla & Joe Thompson - TJ Maxx

Urban Dare Dallas - Top Five Finishers

Thank you to everyone who came out on a gorgeous Saturday to help make
Urban Dare Dallas a great success.

Congratulations to Laura & Kevin Smith for winning Urban Dare Dallas with
a time of 1:51:14. Pete & Suzanna Swanson came in second one minute later.
Nestor Salvado Lozano & Sarah Paxson were the first team to finish, but got
bumped to third when the first two teams got a 5 minute bonus for their
human pyramids.

I want to give a special thanks to Daniel Ramon of DFW Outdoors, www.dfwoutdoors.com, for teaming up with me in producing today's race.

We will be back in Dallas next Spring and are looking forward to expanding
our Texas schedule next year. We will add Houston and probably add a Fort
Worth race as well.

Here are the top five finishers of Urban Dare Dallas:

1:51:14 - Laura Smith & Kevin Smith - Team Smith
1:52:42 - Pete Swanson & Suzanna Swanson - Team FF
1:54:35 - Nestor Salvado Lozano & Sarah Paxson - Gat-i-Gos
2:00:56 - Stephanie Lemke & Ben Verdooren - Elbow Biters
2:07:47 - Tim Jones & Stephen Hoover - Team Yusup

Urban Dare San Antonio - Top 5 Finishers

Thank you to everyone who participated in Urban Dare San Antonio.

Congratulations to Casey & Ravae Shaeffer of Two Aggies Running for
winning Urban Dare San Antonio with a time of 1:38:22. The 84 Spirit Riders
came in 2nd and third place went to the Banned Books.

We will be back in San Antonio next year and are looking forward to
expanding our Texas schedule next year. We will add Houston and probably
add a Fort Worth race as well.

Here are the top five finishers of Urban Dare San Antonio:

1:38:22 - Casey Shaeffer & Ravae Shaeffer - Two Aggies Running
1:44:30 - Neal Leonard & Sally Howington - 84 Spirit Riders
1:48:55 - Bradley Book & Brian Book - Banned Books
1:52:12 - Bari Douglas & Josh Douglas - Goats on a Mission
1:57:32 - Christina Rico-Perales & Robert Castilla - MAJORDRAMA

Urban Dare Philadelphia Top 5 Finishers

1:49:36 - Edward Wagner & Ryan Vellia - Clubedventure
2:15:15 - Lisa Tossey & Katie Farrer - Team Scrappy
2:17:33 - Rebecca Lacher & Tim Wetzel - X Factor
2:23:39 - Kellie Bowker & Rae Asbridge - Hotter than a Match Head
2:25:38 - Lisa Miccolis & Margy Wilcox

Urban Dare Boston Top Five Finishers

2:00:14 - Jesse Morrow & Matt Haldeman - Squashy & The Fatman
2:02:44 - Miguel Burch & Matt Holtzman - 4 Nick 8
2:10:04 - Donald Hess & Dave Young - Don and Dave
2:19:11 - Jordan Harrison & Andrew Combs
2:20:58 - Lucas Baran & Chris Lanoue - Give us the prize

This weekend Boston - Sat & Philadelphia - Sun

Our first doubleheader weekend of the season is coming up with Urban Dare Boston on Saturday, and Urban Dare Philadelphia on Sunday.

Urban Dare Boston starts at High Noon on Saturday, April 13 on the Boston Common near the Visitors Center.

Urban Dare Philadelphia starts at High Noon on Sunday, April 27 at the Irish Memorial by the intersection of Chestnut and Front Streets.

We will begin check-in for both races at 11:00am and will be taking registration up to the start of the race. Look for us in the light blue t-shirts.

You must wear your Urban Dare shirts throughout the race, which we will give you at check-in. You should bring a cell phone and a digital camera to show your pictures at the end of the race. A cell phone camera will work. Maps are also handy and you should have someone to call to help look up clues. I also recommend a pen or pencil to take notes.

Urban Dare, www.urbandare.com, is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares.

Once you are out of the starting blocks, you will pick up your clue sheets and be on your way. You can call friends as much as you want for help on clues. For the checkpoints that mention a dare, you must check in with the Urban Dare official, accomplish your task, and get your passport stamped before moving on. On checkpoints that mention a photo, you must get a photo with both team members to show you were both there.

This is a team race. You must be together throughout the race. You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints.

At checkpoints with dares, you must accomplish a task and get your passport stamped to move on to the next checkpoint. Dares range from throwing a bulls-eye, doing a climbing wall, completing a puzzle or eating something (things people like, not bugs).

We expect the winners will finish the race in about 2 hours and most of you will finish under 4 hours. We are working to provide a fun-filled day for you, while providing some good challenges.

See you at the race.

Urban Dare DC Top 5

Congratulations to Josh Hartman & Kristen Bakotic and Kathryn Boxmeyer & Kevin Halicki who finished in a tie for first place with a time of 1:50:49. The Cheese Whizzes came in third with a time of 2:00:00.

The bragging rights from winning the 3-legged race go to Tyler Herbert & Justin Schildecker. As for the Guinness World Record, we will be submitting tapes, photos, and other documentation this week. We're not sure how long the review will take before the record becomes official. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Here are the top 5 winners:

1:50:49 - Josh Hartman & Kristen Bakotic - Motorbox
1:50:49 - Kathryn Boxmeyer & Kevin Halicki
2:00:00 - Anna Santos de Dios & - The Cheese Whizzes
2:01:33 - Matthew & Christy Rumbaugh - Dan Snyders Belt Buckle
2:03:36 - J.W. Wiecking & Roberta Shea - Bright Angels

I'll do more elaboration on the race in a bit.

World Record Start - DC Sat, April 19

This Saturday's Urban Dare DC will be our first ever Guinness World Record start. We plan on setting the record for the most people participating in a 3-legged race. The race begins at high noon at the Ellipse, which lies right between the White House and the Washington Monument at 15th St and Constitution Ave NW.

I thank the National Park Service for granting us a permit for this prime location.

I'm really looking forward to this day.

We will begin check-in at 10:00 and will be taking registration up to the start of the race. Look for us in the light blue t-shirts.

When I applied with Guinness, they responded that there is no current record. They have created this new category and are awaiting documentation to declare a new record. It should be good fun. If you have any friends or family that may want to help set the record, they may join us for the 3-legged race without registering for Urban Dare.

You must wear your Urban Dare shirts throughout the race, which we will give you at check-in. You should bring a cell phone and a digital camera to show your pictures at the end of the race. A cell phone camera will work. Maps are also handy and you should have someone to call to help look up clues. I also recommend a pen or pencil to take notes.

Urban Dare, www.urbandare.com, is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares.

Once you are done setting a new World record, you will pick up your clue sheets and be on your way. You can call friends as much as you want for help on clues. For the checkpoints that mention a dare, you must check in with the Urban Dare official, accomplish your task, and get your passport stamped before moving on. On checkpoints that mention a photo, you must get a photo with both team members to show you were both there.

This is a team race. You must be together throughout the race. You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints.

At checkpoints with dares, you must accomplish a task and get your passport stamped to move on to the next checkpoint. Dares range from throwing a bulls-eye, doing a climbing wall, completing a puzzle or eating something (things people like, not bugs).

We expect the winners will finish the race in about 2 hours and most of you will finish under 4 hours. We are working to provide a fun-filled day for you, while providing some good challenges.

See you at the race.

Urban Dare St. Pete Top 5 Finishers

Congratulations to Chad Kreiley & Nancy Breed (center above)for winning Urban Dare St. Pete in a time of 2:16:46. Scott & Myles Ramsey, Myles is 12, used their 5 minute bonus to take 2nd place over Karen & Joe Fradley. Well done to all of you.

Everyone got the first clue, but several racers were keeping their fingers crossed when they showed me their photo for: Up near the Blues Fest get your picture with a sculpture that has the blues. The best part of this sculpture was that you couldn't see the blue on it until you got near the festival.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

2:16:46 - Chad Kreiley & Nancy Breed - Dane Cook is not Funny
2:24:06 - Scott Ramsey & Myles Ramsey - Me and My
2:26:51 - Karen Fradley & Joe Fradley - Team Fradley
2:27:10 - Tricia Fradley & Kat Soth - B'Town Babes
2:27:51 - Colleen Glenn & Colleen Cheryl – Shenanigans

Urban Dare St. Petersburg - Sat, Apr 12

Urban Dare St. Petersburg starts at Noon Saturday, April 12 at South Straub Park at Beach Dr and 1st Ave N. We will begin check-in at 11:15 and will be taking registration up to the start of the race. Look for us in the light blue t-shirts.

It's a busy day in St. Pete with a parade and Blues Fest going on, so you may have a little traffic coming in.

You must wear your Urban Dare shirts throughout the race, which we will give you at check-in. You should bring a cell phone and a digital camera to show your pictures at the end of the race. A cell phone camera will work. Maps are also handy and you should have someone to call to help look up clues. I also recommend a pen or pencil to take notes.

Urban Dare is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares.

The Urban Dare start is unique. We will ask multiple choice trivia questions and you will move into A, B, C or D areas depending on your answer. Get a few answers correct and you are on your way. This gives us a staggered start, but we'll be through it quickly. You may not use your phones at this stage of the race.

Once you are out of the starting blocks, you will pick up your clue sheets and be on your way. You can call friends as much as you want for help on clues. For the checkpoints that mention a dare, you must check in with the Urban Dare official, accomplish your task, and get your passport stamped before moving on. On checkpoints that mention a photo, you must get a photo with both team members to show you were both there.

This is a team race. You must be together throughout the race. You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints.

At checkpoints with dares, you must accomplish a task and get your passport stamped to move on to the next checkpoint. Dares range from throwing a bulls-eye, doing a climbing wall, completing a puzzle or eating something (things people like, not bugs).

We expect the winners will finish the race in about 2 hours and most of you will finish under 4 hours. We are working to provide a fun-filled day for you, while providing some good challenges.

See you at the race.

Urban Dare Atlanta - Top 5 Finishers

Thank you to everyone who came out on a soggy Saturday to help make Urban Dare Atlanta a great success.

Congratulations to Braden Dunbar and Darin Dunham of 2 Grunts Running, pictured above, for winning with an impressive time of 1:58:28. They were the only team to finish under two hours.

The 2nd place Asphalt Sherpas say they were running neck and neck with our winners until they came to the brick dare. This was clearly the clue that took people the longest to find. Here's a note from Sherapa Bill that has a map of their routes:

Kevin...
Great fun yesterday in Atlanta. The Asphalt Sherpas had a good time. Fun clues, good competition, and excellent doughnuts!

Here's a link to our route with a few comments:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103331246271207057389.00044a28b39e73c315127&ll=33.771085,-84.384956&spn=0.047875,0.072269&z=14

From their map, you'll see that they went about 9 miles. They ran the whole race as did our new Atlanta Champions. Most racers got on the MARTA at the art museum and took it down by the Capitol. This takes a good 3 miles off the distance.

Casey Norton of third place NO Problem...What-so-ever was proud to be the first woman to finish.

Everyone got it, but several people were thrown by the fact that Lyman Hall at Georgia Tech is named after a man whose last name is Hall. He is one of three Georgians to sign the Declaration of Independence. These are the types of clues we love to hit you with.

Congratulations to all of you who completed today's race.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

1:58:28 - Bradun Dunbar & Darin Dunham - 2 Grunts Running
2:15:47 - Bill Buckalew & Ken Milam - Asphalt Sherpas
2:21:57 - Sean Teichert & Casey Norton - NO Problem...What-so-ever
2:37:52 - John O'Connor & Jack OConnor
2:38:16 - Stephen McCullers & Molly McCullers - Team Culler

We may be back this Fall for another Atlanta race.

Urban Dare Scottsdale - Top 5 Finishers

Thank you to everyone who helped make Urban Dare Scottsdale a big success.

For a good recap of the race, check out this blog from Nicole Moest:

http://nicolemoest.smugmug.com/gallery/4628338_gXoRX

Congratulations to April Hull and her brother Gene Day for winning Urban Dare Scottsdale with an impressive time of 1:21:10. Second place went to Samantha and Lynn of Seriously?! We're hot. They used their 5 minute bonus to leapfrog third place Jamie and Brandon of Drinkers with a running problem.

I want to give a special thanks to There's no I in Beer (pictured above) and to one half of the Desert Wahinis who participated in their third Urban Dare in the Valley of the Sun.

Congratulations to everyone who competed.

Here are the top five finishers of Urban Dare Scottsdale:

1:21:10 - April Hull & Gene Day - Smiling's My Favorite!
1:29:54 - Samantha Szuter & Lynn Teitel - Seriously?! We're hot.
1:31:14 - Jamie Gerald & Brandon Gerald - Drinkers With A Running Problem
1:33:25 - James Garman & Kirk Christiano - There's no I" in Beer"
1:49:29 - Melissa Jimro & Brittany Robertson - Team Win

Urban Dare Austin Top 5 Finishers

Thank you to everyone who helped make Urban Dare Austin a great success.

Several people had a tough time with this clue: Get your picture where Ratso Rizzo’s roommate was first caught posing.

Congratulations to Kip Fiebig & David Bogle who won with a fast time of 1:40:43. Kip won last year with a different partner.

Next in came Team Vindigo, just ahead of David & Beth of Queen Arthur. Team Vindigo was missing the water dare, so they went back out to get it. Queen Arthur had everything correct and came in second. Third place went to Team Bruno. The fourth place Runskulls featured 13 year old John Morran and his father Michael. Team Vindigo returned in time to take 5th place.

We more than doubled from last year and look forward to establishing a year-round Texas series. I always have fun when I come to Austin.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

1:40:43 - Kipley Fiebig & David Bogle - Vignette KD
1:53:08 - David Smith & Beth Arthur - Queen Arthur
2:04:04 - Brian Bruno & Kristen Bruno - Team Bruno
2:12:24 - Michael Morran & John Morran - Runskulls
2:15:30 - Spencer Conklin & Tom Lane - Team Vindigo

And the clue - Midnight Cowboy Modeling on 6th Street.

Training for Urban Dare

Live Lean Today, a Phoenix based fitness company, has posted some articles and a video on training for Urban Dare. We'll see how they do in the March 29 Urban Dare Scottsdale.

Check out their training plan and other fitness information at:

http://www.liveleantoday.com/article.cfm?id=1045

Urban Dare Austin - Sat, March 22

Urban Dare Austin starts at Noon Saturday March 22, 2008 at Auditorium Shores. We will begin check-in at 11:15 and will be taking registration up to the start of the race. Please help spread the word about the race.

Urban Dare, www.urbandare.com, is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares.

You must wear your Urban Dare shirts throughout the race, which we will give you at check-in. You should bring a cell phone and a digital camera to show your pictures at the end of the race. A cell phone camera will work. Maps are also handy and you should have someone to call to help look up clues. I also recommend a pen or pencil to take notes.

You can call friends as much as you want for help on clues. For the checkpoints that mention a dare, you must check in with the Urban Dare official, accomplish your task, and get your passport stamped before moving on. On checkpoints that mention a photo, you must get a photo with both team members to show you were both there.

This is a team race. You must be together throughout the race. You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints.

At checkpoints with dares, you must accomplish a task and get your passport stamped to move on to the next checkpoint. Dares range from throwing a bulls-eye, doing a climbing wall, completing a puzzle or eating something (things people like, not bugs).

We expect the winners will finish the race in about 2 hours and most of you will finish under 4 hours. We are working to provide a fun-filled day for you, while providing some good challenges.

See you at the race.

Urban Dare Orlando Top 5 Finishers

Congratulations to Ashleigh David and Rino Cacchione of Moop for winning, once again, Urban Dare Orlando in an impressive time of 1:40:53.

The Crazies came in second with a time of 1:49:52, and Dead Weight edged out Psychadelic Mayonnaise by 8 seconds to gain 3rd place.

I've learned that sometimes there is more than one correct answer to a clue. That was the case with where Wile E Coyote gets his stamps. When I laid out the race, I saw Ace Rubber Stamp & Sign located on Colonial Ave, one block from Mills going towards NY Deli.

When I was vetting the clues I discovered Acme. I figured some teams would run an extra 1/2 mile to get the Acme Stamp & Sign shot another 3 or 4 blocks up Mills. It turns out everyone got the Acme shot. Clearly, I spent too much time watching cartoons as a kid. I thought everyone new that Wile bought from both Ace and Acme. Oh well.

We also had our first solo racer, Tom Breed, something I discovered at the end of the race. At any rate it seemed to work out okay. Since our soloist didn't have a team name, I have dubbed him Solo Bandit. Well done, Tom.

Thanks to all of you for making this event a success.

Here are the 5 finishers of Urban Dare Orlando:

1:40:53 Ashleigh David & Rino Cacchione – Moop
1:49:52 christopher williams & Cathy Norton - crazies
1:57:51 Lisa Carlson & Gwenny Podulka - Dead Weight
1:57:59 Chad Kreiley & Ken Gibbs - Psychedelic Mayonnaise
2:03:05 Cheryl Friel & Brad Friel - It's 5:00 Somewhere

Urban Dare Orlando, Sat, May 8

Finally, the first Urban Dare of the 2008 season is upon us. Pictured are the top 3 teams of last fall's Urban Dare Orlando. Team Moop, in the middle, are the defending champions of this race.

Urban Dare Orlando starts at Noon Saturday March 8 at Lake Eola Park. We will begin check-in at 11:00am. Look for us in the light blue t-shirts in the area with tables where Osceola runs into Central Ave. We'll be taking registrations all the way up to the start of the race.

Urban Dare, www.urbandare.com, is the race where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares.

You must wear your Urban Dare shirts throughout the race, which we will give you at check-in. You should bring a cell phone and a digital camera to show your pictures at the end of the race. A cell phone camera will work. Maps are also handy and you should have someone to call to help look up clues. I also recommend a pen or pencil to take notes.

You can call friends as much as you want for help on clues. For the checkpoints that mention a dare, you must check in with the Urban Dare official, accomplish your task, and get your passport stamped before moving on. On checkpoints that mention a photo, you must get a photo with both team members to show you were both there.

This is a team race. You must be together throughout the race. You may walk, run or use public transportation to get to checkpoints.

At checkpoints with dares, you must accomplish a task and get your passport stamped to move on to the next checkpoint. Dares range from throwing a bulls-eye, doing a climbing wall, completing a puzzle or eating something (things people like, not bugs).

We expect the winners will finish the race in about 2 hours and most of you will finish under 4 hours. We are working to provide a fun-filled day for you, while providing some good challenges.

Take the dare!
www.urbandare.com