This year, Urban Challenge reduced its race schedule to only two cities besides the finals to be held in Phoenix. We chose to continue the fun and race in Lexington, Kentucky.
The race begins with a trivia quiz. We got 10 wrong in the first 20 and 5 more wrong in the last 10 putting us into the 4th starting group and losing 15 minutes at the start of the race.
Sayre School -- 194 North Limestone St - Map
We are released and receive the clue sheet at 9:15am. We begin with Checkpoint #3. John dictates it to Cliff over the phone as we run across the street to our hotel and a convenient fax machine to send the rest of the clues.
On to the race:
Checkpoint 3 is located at X East 5th Street. To solve for X, compute the following:
The number of Emmy's The West Wing was nominated for in 2004
TIMES
The number of Emmy nominations received by the actor who plays "Frank" on Everyone Loves Raymond
TIMES
The number of Emmy nominations rec'd by the actress who plays "Claire" on Six Feet Under
MINUS
The number of lead Desperate Housewives that were Emmy-nominated this year
ANSWER: Shiloh Baptist Church - 237 East Fifth St
We ran up and down Fifth Street looking for several addresses as our research team pinned down the final result. The Shiloh Baptist Church didn't have a street number posted anywhere on the building that we could find, but it was the correct answer.
DISTANCE: about 0.8 miles - map
The Chartres Cathedral in France is well known for people going there for a special prayer experience. Maybe they don't know they could just go to Lexington since there's a copy of this prayer experience here? Take a picture in the center of the special prayer path. You'll find it in the MLK neighborhood.
ANSWER:
The outdoor labyrinth at the Old Episcopal Burying Ground, 3rd and Elm Tree Lane.
DISTANCE: 0.3 miles - Map
Take me out to the Ball Game
A player on the Diamondbacks in the year they won the World Series had a Batting Average of .276. Since then this player has been traded, what ballpark is his team's home field?
Find all within 1/4 mile of Woodland Park.
ANSWER: Charlie's - 490 E High St
Diamondbacks won in 2001. David Dellucci hit .276 in 2001. He's now on the Texas Rangers, which plays on Ameriquest Field, so it's Charlie's Foreign Car Service.
We passed by the skip man on our way up High Street and got our photo with him which will allow us to skip one of the later clues.
DISTANCE: 0.7 miles - Map
Unscramble the anagram below to find the four-word name of the restaurant on East High Street that serves as Checkpoint 6.
ANSWER: Buddy's Bar and Grill - 854 E High St
DISTANCE: 0.5 miles - Map
Sydney's father at the end of the movie, Scream.
Find both on the University of Kentucky campus.
ANSWER: Phi Sigma Kappa - 439 Hugelet Avenue
DISTANCE: 1.2 miles - Map
Take your photo with the sculpture, Two Lines Oblique, by George Rickey cuz it's Checkpoint 8. You can find the sculpture on the University of Kentucky campus.
ANSWER:
This sculpture is outside the University of Kentucky Art Museum on campus at Rose Street and Euclid Avenue.
DISTANCE: 0.6 miles - Map
Interesting enough, the USA officially didn't have a President for a day due to the incoming president refusing to take the Oath of Office on the Sabbath and no one else was sworn in. The number of years since this occurred is the address on West Main Street that serves as Checkpoint 9.
ANSWER: The Dame - 156 West Main Street
The event in question occurred March 4 1849.
DISTANCE: 0.9 miles - Map
This establishment on Maxwell Street shares it's name with the last word of the title of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burenett that tells the story of an American boy in England.
ANSWER: Fauntleroy's Cafe - 640 West Maxwell
DISTANCE: 0.7 miles - Map
Ditto.
We are bustin' out the Patented Wacky Equation. Take a photo with the establishment bearing the name suggested by the following:
____________________ Oil
PLUS
Female Sheep
Sounds like Checkpoint 11
Find this establishment northeast of High Street and northwest of Upper Street.
ANSWER: Isle of You - 591 W Short St
DISTANCE: 0.5 miles - Map
Checkpoint 12 is a building that shares it's name with the birth city of the author of the novel that starts with the following line:
"The American handed Leamas another cup of coffee and said, "Why don't you go back to sleep? We can ring you if he shows up."
Find it within 1/4 miles of Fayette Park.
ANSWER: Poole Hall at the end of Kenilworth Ct.
There's a 1985 movie called "Transylvania 6-5000." The quote is from The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John Le Carre -- born David John Moore Cornwell in Poole, Dorsetshire. DISTANCE: 0.7 miles - Map
Please pass the salt.
Take your photo with the mural that has the following quote in it cuz it's Checkpoint 1:
"Years from now, no one may remember who I was or what I had done, what matters is that I was important in the life of a child."
Find the mural Northeast of 3rd Street in the MLK neighborhood.
ANSWER: Mural in Duncan Park
DISTANCE: 0.4 miles - Map
We passed by here while looking for Checkpoint 3 and noticed other teams running around in the park and realized we'd probably be back here for a future clue. Of course, by the time we got here near the end of the race we were slightly disoriented and got directions from a friendly passerby.
We used the skip man to skip Checkpoint 2 and headed back to the finish line.
DISTANCE: 0.6 miles - Map
We crossed the finish line in 17th place with a time of 2:42. Our best UC finishing time yet. With disqualifications, our final placement is 7th qualifying us for a free entry into the National Finals in Phoenix in November.
TOTAL DISTANCE: Approximately 8 miles - entirely on foot
Other links:
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