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

Looking Forward to 2008 Season

Running Urban Dare races continues to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. In 2008 we will continue to grow our race fields and we will put on over 30 Urban Dares across the country.

One of the things I most enjoy is that I still learn something every race, to make the next one even better. And that each race has its own twists.

We have a special event coming August 23 - 26. Urban Dare's Super Dare. Super Dare is a multi-day race that you begin by running Urban Dare Santa Monica. Then we kick it up a notch. You will use planes, trains and automobiles as you travel to various destinations and complete your required dares. We will challenge you, provide great fun, and give you an amazing race. Price includes 3 nights of hotels, rental cars, ground transportation, and airfares. Our goal is to keep you going by day and let you enjoy evenings.

You will begin the race on Saturday, August 23 at the noon start of Urban Dare Santa Monica. You will end the day in a nearby city. Sunday, August 24 will begin at 10:00am. Monday, Aug 25 we begin at 10am, and Tue, Aug 26 beginning at 10:00. You will wake up every day in a different city. The race officially ends at 8:00pm on Tuesday, Aug 26, but we expect everyone will be finished well before that time. At least one teammate must have a valid drivers license and will drive rental car. This is going to be an amazing race.

Over time, we will roll out new formats and continue to push the envelope in Urban Adventure.

Here is the current 2008 schedule:

Mar 8 Orlando
Mar 22 Austin
Mar 29 Scottsdale
Apr 5 Atlanta
Apr 6 Jacksonville
Apr 12 St. Pete
Apr 19 DC
Apr 26 Boston
Apr 27 Philadelphia
May 3 Dallas
May 4 San Antonio
May 10 New York
May 17 Pittsburgh
May 24 Tampa
May 25 Tallahassee
May 31 Nashville
June 7 Chicago
Jun 14 Minneapolis
Jun 21 Denver
Jun 28 Helena
Jul 12 Seattle
Aug 23 Santa Monica
Aug 23–26 Super Dare
Sep 20 San Diego
Sep 27 San Francisco
Nov 8 Scottsdale
Nov 15 Orlando
Nov 29 Tampa
Dec 6 Miami

We will be adding races in Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and other cities.

I hope to see you at the races.

Take the dare!

Champions Race - Top 5 teams

Pictured here are the top 3 teams of today's Champions Race. In the center, Christian Skoglund & Gustaf Arnoldsson of the Swedish Vikings are the new Urban Dare National Champions. On the left are Marcy & John Beard who finished second. And on the right are Eric Carpenter & Ty Summers, last years national champions, who finished third.

Once again, the five minute bonus came into play. Team Vignette MJ was the first team to finish, but the Swedish Vikings used their 5 minute bonus to leapfrog into first place.

Here was the stumper clue: "She was known as the Grand Dame of the Everglades. Go to her park for your spellbound dare."

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Champions Race. Some of you traveled long distances to be here, and I appreciate your support.

Here are the top 5 teams:

1:32:34 - Christian Skoglund & Gustaf Arnoldsson - Swedish Vikings
1:34:05 - Marcy & John Beard - Team Vignette MJ
1:50:40 - Erik Carpenter & Ty Summers - The Jolly Rogers
2:18:21 - Geoffrey Sheppard & Monica Hoffman - P.T. Pirates
2:18:31 - Kip Fiebig & Elias Jimenez - Team Vignette KE

I think everyone figured out the stumper answer was Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Park. They just had trouble finding it. One team traveled all the way to Coral Gables, while this checkpoint was just 4 blocks from the race start.

Jolly Rogers to Defend Title

Pictured here are the Jolly Rogers, the winners of last year's Champions Race. They also won Urban Dare DC in 2006 & 2007. They hope to retain their title in next week's Champions Race in South Beach.

Come join us.

Urban Dare Miami Top 5 Finishers

I’m finally sitting on my own couch after finishing the last race of the 2007 regular season. It’s good to visit home again.

We had another fascinating finish as the first three teams to come into the finish all had to go back out to gain the last stamp on their passports. They ended up finishing 1, 2, and 4.

The Swedish Vikings finished the dare at the finish in 1:49:18, but they just got a picture at Flanigans, not noticing that they were supposed to do their eating dare. Off they went to eat their chicken strips.

While they were out, Tracy Towle & Jeff Humphrey came into the finish at 2:05:09, but one of their pictures was wrong. They took a picture in front of Plymouth Church, when they were supposed to take a picture of Plymouth Manse. They asked me what a manse was. I told them I couldn’t say, but they better hurry up and get their picture with it. Out they went.

5 minutes later, Christian Skoglund & Gustaf Arnoldsslon of the Swedish Vikings came back with the stamp for the eating dare, and they got a picture of a bull statue on the way back for a 5:00 bonus. Victory was theirs with Jefftray coming back 10 minutes later to finish second. PuN was the 6th team in at the finish, but they finished in third place. They were the first team come in with everything correct the first time. Their position is they were the real winners. Hopefully they will show their stuff again in South Beach.

Shelley Schenker and her son Jonathan came in at the finish along with her husband Harold and their other son Elliott were the 4th and fifth teams in at the finish, but they missed one of the checkpoints. Harold & Elliott went and got their required picture in time to finish 5th. Shelley & Jonathan were content to call it a day. It was an impressive showing as the two boys were by far the youngest contestants.

Thank you to everyone who made the first Urban Dare Miami a success. Next month we move all the way over to South Beach for our Champions race on January 12. The winners will win $1,000. We will kick up the dares a notch for this race. Take the dare!

Here are the top five finishers.

2:05:20 - Christian Skoglund & Gustaf Arnoldsson – Swedish Vikings
2:20:08 - Tracy Towle & Jeff Humphrey – Jefftray
3:04:37 - Peter Christenson & Nancy Rehm – PuN
3:12:50 - Allison Stephens & Allison Aileen – AA
3:15:22 - Harold Schenker & Elliott Schenker - AntiOxidants

Tampa Top 5 Finishers

Congratulations to Pat Trimpert & Jeff Roy of South Tampa Mafia for winning Urban Dare Tampa in a time of 1:41:22. Second place went to Ginger & Jason Couden of the A Holes. The father and son team of Tom & Max Levin came in 3rd.

Thank you to everyone who made Urban Dare Tampa a big success.

1:41:22 - Pat Trimpert & Jeff Roy - South Tampa Mafia
1:55:08 - Ginger & Jason Couden - A Holes
1:55:57 - Tom & Max Levin - Team Hadjo
1:56:10 - Scott Ramsey & Pablo Gallego - Spanglish
1:56:30 - Karen Lee & Janelle Weber - Dare-do-wells

Urban Dare Orlando Top 5 Finishers

Thank you to everyone who came out today and made Urban Dare Orlando a big success. We will definitely be back next year.

Lauren Walker & Tico Sejas of Infinite Possibilities were the first team to complete their final dare at the finish, but that was not quite enough to win. Rino Cacchione and Ashleigh David of Moop finished a couple minutes later. They also got a picture of 6 non-contestants forming a human pyramid. This gave them a five minute bonus making them the Urban Dare Orlando Champions. Congratulations on a well-run race.

There was no big stumper clue in today's race. Several people said their toughest one was finding Orlando's Statue of Liberty. Most of these racers that had problems with this also said that they drive by it almost every day. My brother Dirk, who lives about a quarter mile away, had to ask me where it was. Go figure.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

1:37:36 - Rino Cacchione & Ashleigh David - Moop
1:40:59 - Lauran Walker & Tico Sejas - Infinite Possibilities
2:00:23 - Michael Powell & David Ritland - Gridlock
2:07:44 - Allison Carcaise & Sherry Cioffi - Splitsville
2:12:44 - Jodi DeQuiros & Derrick DeQuiros - Team DQ

Urban Dare Top Three Finishers

Urban Dare Tempe Top 5 Finishers

Congratulations to Windy and David Marks of Racelab for winning Urban Dare Tempe in a time of 1:52:35. Ethan Myer and Debbie Goodwin came in second, finishing there final dare 45 seconds later.

The third through fifth place teams were tightly bunched with There's no I in Beer finishing ahead of Hometown Hotties and the Desert Wahinis.

All in all it was a great day, and I thank everyone who participated.

Here are the top 5 finishers:

1:52:35 - Windy & David Marks - Racelab
1:53:20 - Ethan Myer & Debbie Goodwin - Navigationally Challenged
2:05:52 - James Garman & Kirk Christiano - There's no I in Beer
2:06:40 - Kyle Wyloge & Evan Wyloge - Hometown Hotties
2:07:00 - Nicole Moest & Julie Peterson - Desert Wahinis

Champions Race - South Beach - Jan 12

This Urban Dare Champions race will be held on January 12 in Miami Beach's South Beach section.

I will try to get us a good rate on hotel rooms when I will be in the area setting up our race in the Coconut Grove area on Dec 8. In the meantime you can start looking for deals on flights.

Everyone is eligible to enter the race. The first place teams from 2007 races receive free entry. Second place teams pay $10. Third place teams pay $20. Fourth place teams pay $30 and fifth place teams pay $40. If you were a top 5 finisher, please email me at kkeefe@urbandare.com to register.

All other teams will pay the standard $90 dollar fee to participate and can register online.

It's been a great year so far, and I believe we are fastest growing race series in the US. I expect to continue this growth and to continue to make improvements for some time to come.

See you in South Beach, if you dare!

Urban Dare San Antonio

Here was the stumper clue of what turned out to be a fascinating race:

"This museum was once a Lone Star Brewery. Get your picture with the Shrouded Entry in front of it."

Pictured here is Joe Koizen with the Roxanne Flores & Connie Basel of the Get Out Girls. I chose this picture, because of the little girl in the background. The Get Out Girls are the Urban Dare San Antonio Champions and Joe is a strong champion for San Antonio.

Joe, along with Jen Miller and her husband Drew, did the March race in Austin. We were hanging out after the race and they talked me into doing a San Antonio race. Not only did they help put together and work the race, but Jen and Drew also put me up at their house. Many thanks:)

A week before the race, I received an email from Megan Rutledge asking if she and her husband could bring along their 10 year old son Garrett. She said they didn't care about winning, they'd just have more fun with Garrett along. Imagine my surprise when they were the first team to show up and completed their dare before any other team arrived. We all got very excited about them maybe taking first place and started reviewing their pics. Alas, the stumper got them and they had to ultimately settle for 10th place.

Suzanna & Pete Swanson of the Posers and Bradley & Brian Book of the Banned Books were the second and third teams in at the finish, but they, too, got stumped. The Banned Books decided they were going to back for the Shrouded Entry.

The Get Out Girls, our champions, were the tenth team to succesfully complete all checkpoints in a time of 2:57:53. Close on their heels were Kylie Clayborne & Kristen King of Red River Runners and next were Estelle Mack and Pia Puno of Macapuno.

The desire award goes to the Banned Books who returned one hour and twenty-one minutes after completing their final dare. They came back with the Shrouded Entry shot and were the 9th and last team to successfully complete all checkpoints.

I tell people that Urban Dare is the race where smarts can beat speed. That's exactly what happened in Urban Dare San Antonio.

Here are the top five:

2:57:53 - Connie Basel & Roxanne Flores - Get out Girls
2:58:44 - Kylie Clayborne & Kristen King - Red River Runners
2:59:01 - Estelle Mack & Pia Puno - Macapuno
3:02:56 - Sharon Burns & Ed Gonzalez - Rack Pack
3:07:18 - Shawn Hood & Harry Hood

Texas is starting to get to me. In a good way, of course. We will have a Texas series next year, and already have three races scheduled. I'll probably add a Houston area race. In the March 29 Urban Dare Austin, we are hoping to open the race by setting a World Record.

The schedule is Mar 29 Austin, May 3 Dallas, TBA San Antonio.

And the stumper?

The San Antonio Museum of Art's building is in the National Historic Register as a former Lone Star Brewery. There is but one statue smack dab in front of this building. It is titled "Shrouded Entry." Almost everyone passed by close enough to touch it.

Urban Dare San Antonio Top 3

Hooray to the top three teams in today's Urban Dare San Antonio pictured here. I love that they are all women - smart and fit women.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Urban Dare San Antonio. After a great first race, I'm ready to make this an annual event.

I'll do a more detailed report tomorrow. It was a fascinating race at the finish line.