misadventures at the urban adventure race

[This picture has nothing to do with the urban adventure race, but it's the only one I currently have of me and Pete-osky. Note the uber-large beers, always indicative of a pre-beer adventure, so therefore it somehow relates. But I digress.]

Using my brain while exercising typically doesn’t work out so well. I’m more of the “shut off my thoughts” type of person while exerting myself. But when my friend Pete and I decided to attempt the High Trek Adventure Race, I realized that I’d have to learn how to use both my muscles and mind—at the same time. Part of a growing craze in adventure races, these urban races are part scavenger hunt, part trivia game (think Amazing Race meets Trivial Pursuit), as teams of two follow clues as they run through the city streets (proof is in the picture: you and your teammate have to snap a self-portrait at each of the 10 clue locations to show race officials at the end). Follow along as Pete and I do Team Lamprey (don't ask) proud.

DON’T take yourself too seriously.
Pre-race, as our opponents huddled over maps and whispered in teams of two, detailing their strategies, Pete and I took the opportunity to catch up on our weekends, sip coffee, and take last-minute bathroom breaks. “Let the bumbling begin!” we said with fists raised.
Lesson learned (for our too-serious opponents): The best adventures are the unknown. Being over-prepared takes the fun out of it.

DO know when to pay attention.
I will admit I was a little too casual, though. Before I knew it, an envelope with a list of checkpoint clues had been placed in our hands and the race had begun. “Wait, what are we supposed to do again?” I asked Pete. As everyone made a mad dash to Waterfront Park, we shrugged at each other and followed along
Lesson learned: It’s probably a good idea to pay attention to the official race rules, but if the race has already begun, just follow the crowd.
DON’T be afraid to ask for help.
Luckily, Pete knew what we were getting into ahead of time, and wisely suggested we have an official Team Googler. You know, someone who was “on call” waiting for us to call in a clue. We didn’t need to think hard about who to rely on—our friend Jacki (and official Team Lamprey member) is an expert fact looker-upper, and, lured with a promise of a post-race beer, was game for Googling.
Lesson learned: Three brains are always better than two. Especially when one of those brains belongs to Jacki, and has Internet access.

DO divide and conquer.
As we read through the list of checkpoint clues, many of which involved some form of math or trivia in order to solve, my eyes focused on one task: Go to Ground Kontrol video-game arcade and rack up 10,000 points in Ms. PacMan. Now this was something I could do, I thought, cracking my knuckles. Sweat beading on my brow, I managed to maneuver the dot-devouring yellow circle past Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue in record time. Meanwhile, Pete was doing some long-form math as he conferred with Jacki about our next checkpoint.
Lesson learned: The best combo deal is a math wizard like Pete and an 80s video game geek like me.

DON’T hesitate to copy the crowd.
As we dashed up Burnside Street toward the Oregonian building for our next clue, we saw another team of two getting a picture taken in front of an elephant sculpture in the Park Blocks. Pete and I looked at each other and immediately took a quick detour to the giant animal. We had zero idea what clue this corresponded to at the time, but decided that it must be something important.
Lesson learned: Pretend you know what you’re doing, even when you don’t.

Team Lamprey crossed the finish line in 12th place (13th would have been more appropriate, given the bumbling) out of 35. www.hightrekadventure.com.